tihv<ivy  of  Che  t:heolo0ical  ^tminavy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 

PURCHASED  BY  THE 
HAMILL  MISSIONARY  FUND 


BV  3460  .U63  1908 
Underwood,  Horace  Grant, 
1859-1916. 
Call  of  Korea, 

r\r\l   it-ir-al ar^r'-i   al r-ial  i^-J  ^,tj 


THE  CALL  OF  KOREA 


o    5  ^- < 

•T      >  5      ' 


THE  CALL  of  KOREA 

Political — Social — Religions 


HORACE  G.  UNDERWOOD 

FOB  TWINTY-THRZK  YEARS  A  MISSIONARY  IN  KOREA 


Illustrated  from   Photographs   by 

CAMERON  JOHNSON 


New  York       Chicago       Toronto 

Fleming    H.    Revell   Company 

London        and        Edinburgh 


Copyright,  iqoS,  by 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago :  80  Wabash  Avenue 
Toronto  :  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London  :  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh  :    100    Princes  Street 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTEB  PAGE 

I.  The  Counts y     .....                15 

II.  Thb* People:   Their  Secular  Life           .       44 

III.  The  People:   Their  Religious  Life        .       77 

IV.  Forms  and  Methods  op  Work         .        .100 
V.  The  Past  and,  Present  op  Missions  in 

Korea 127 

VI.     The  Work  op  the  Denominations  151 

Questions  and  References      .         .         .189 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PACINS 
PAGE 


The  Boaed  of  Biblb  Translators  for  Korea  Title 

Royal  Buildings   at  the  Old   East   Palaces, 
Seoul,  Korea 22 

A  Four  Bull  Cart  Hauling  Stone  .         .        .22 

Women  Ironing 28 

The  Economy  op  Labor 28 

On  a  Journey 49 

On  the  Trot,  Seoul,  Korea        .         .         .         .49 

A  Mourner 59 

An  Official 59 

Korean  Village  Idols 82 

A  Pair  of  Korean  Buddhist  Priests        .        .     82 

The    First    Christian    Church    Building    in 
Korea 136 

Mr.  Soh  Sang  Yun        ....  .135 

Group     op     Christians    and     Missionaries    in 
Front  of  Church  at  Kunsan,  Korea         .  17  ) 

Map  op  Korea 204 


^■^     _  J>-^ 


i.-r,  J'leJ-*^''",::.     ' 


.K 


¥ 


PREFACE 


In  the  Providence  of  God  it  was  my  privilege  to 
be  among  the  very  first  missionaries  to  go  to  the  Her- 
mit Nation,  and  He  has  permitted  me  during  the 
past  twenty-three  years  -to  be  present  and  to  watch 
with  keen  interest  the  progress  of  His  kingdom  and 
the  developments  of  the  work,  and  to  have  some  little 


share  in  it.;(*.vWe  have  seen  His  Church  grow  from  - 
nothing  t^a  bc^mr  of  bel' 
sand  strong.^**^v*.>  ^^- 


nothing  t^a  bct^  of  believers  ewp-eite,  hundred  thou- 


From  the  very  start  Koreans  have  shown  a  re-  ,  .  » - 
ceptivity  unequalled  by  the  people  of  any  other  land,  /^^^., 
and  as  a  result  the  success  that  has  followed  the  * — ^'  . 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  has  been  phenomenal.  Thou-  J"^' 
sands  have  been  won  to  the  Cross,  and  the  only  limit  '^•*- 
seems  to  have  been  the  physical  power  of  the  mis-  .'"-^ 
sionary  to  cope  with,  guide,  and  direct  the  work.  /  ^ 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  the  work,  almost  at  its 
beginning,  God,  in  His  Providence,  led  us  to  adopt 
methods  that  have  been  said  by  some  to  have  been 
unique,  but  in  reality  are  simply  those  that  have  been 
adopted  by  numbers  of  missionaries  in  different  parts 
of  the  world.  The  only  unique  feature  has  been  the 
almost  unanimity  with  which  these  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  the  whole  missignary  body  in  this  land. 

s 


Jl' 


6  Preface 

The  way  in  which  the  Korean  Church  has  re- 
sponded to  these  methods  has  startled  the  Christian 
world.  Their  zeal  and  activity  in  preaching,  their 
generosity  in  contributing  of  their  hard-earned  means 
toward  their  own  church  buildings,  their  primary  and 
higher  schools,  home  and  foreign  missions,  almost  put 
to  shame  the  Christians  of  America. 

The  numbers  professing  conversion  have  been 
growing  larger  and  larger  each  year,  but  the  force  of 
missionaries  to  cope  with  this  work  has  not  kept  pace 
with  its  growth,  and  as  a  result  we  have  the  work 
pushing  the  missionary  to  the  very  limit  of  his  power. 
During  the  past  year  Korea  received  her  baptism  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  which  swept  over  almost  the  entire 
land.  Bishop  Harris,  speaking  of  this,  says,  "The 
year  1907  will  ever  be  memorable  for  the  revival 
which  involved  the  whole  country.  This  constitutes 
the  divine  inauguration  of  the  Christian  Church  in 
the  land  of  Chosen.  The  signs  following  have  con- 
firmed the  genuineness  and  thoroughgoing  nature  of 
this  miracle  of  grace." 

In  a  marvellous  way  God  has  been  preparing  this 
little  nation  for  the  reception  of  His  truth.  They  are 
ready  now.  "To-day  is  Korea's  crisis  hour,"  says 
Dr.  J.  E.  Kittredge.  "Give  the  laborers  now  and 
Korea  will  be  the  first  nation  Christianized  in  modern 
times,"  says  J.  R.  Mott.  --- , 

A  knowledge  of  this  country,  of  Uie  people,  with 
their  characteristics,  of  the  methods  employed  by  the 
Missions  in  Korea,  together  with  a  review  of  the 


Preface  7 

results  that  have  followed  will,  we  believe,  enable  the 
Christian  Church  to  hear  the  "Call  of  Korea,"  lead 
the  people  of  America  to  realize  that  this  is  God's 
call  at  the  present  time  and  to  send  the  reenforce- 
ments  now. 

HoEACE  G.  Undeewood. 


INTRODUCTION 


ABTHUR   T.    PIEESON,   D.D. 


To-day  is  the  golden  hour  of  opportunity  in  Korea. 
God  is  never  done  speaking,  however  dull  our  hear- 
ing; and,  if  ever  He  was  calling  on  us,  in  trumpet 
tones,  to  "Buy  up  opportunity,"  it  is  now  in  Korea. 

Foremost  among  "the  signs  of  the^imes"  we  deem., 
the  present  situation  in  that  land.  ;_This  nation^vup 
to  1882,  was  one  of  the  Hermit  peoples ;  it  was  death 
to  a  foreigner  to  land  there,  or  to  a  native  to  harbor 
one.  In  that  year  the  first  treaty  rights  were  secured 
with  the  United  States;  and,  in  1884,  Dr.  H.  K 

Allen,  transferred  from,.China,"  became  the  first  Prot- 
on ~'*"''^^** 
estant  missionary.  Twenty 'years  ago,  seven  con- 
verts secretly  gathered  around  the  Lord's  table.  This 
year  there  are  15,700,  in  619  churches  of  the  Presby- 
terian denomination  alone,  representing  nearly 
00,000  adherents ! 

Taking  all  Protestant  denominations  together, 
there  are  about  120,000  Christians  to-day  among 
these  thirteen  millions;  and,  if  there  were  enough 
missionaries  to  guide  this  infant  Church,  Korea 
night  be  evangelized,  with  incredible  rapidity,  for  all 
things  are  now  ready — except  the  Church  at  home! 


Id  Introduction 

Our  Lord  said :  ''Ye  hypocrites !  ye  can  discern  the 
face  of  the  sky ;  but  can  ye  not  discern  the  signs  of  the 
times?"  There  is  an  element  of  hypocrisy  in  the 
failure  to  discern  our  opportunity  when  put  so  clearly 
before  us  by  God,  and  in  failing  to  enter  such  open 
doors?  Can  prayers  be  sincere,  when  we  beseech 
God  to  break  down  barriers,  and  then,  when  in  such 
marvellous  manner  He  sweeps  them  away,  we  hesi- 
tate, tardily  and  inadequately  coming  up  to  His  help, 
in  the  evangelizing  of  the  benighted  millions  to  whom 
He  has  granted  access ! 

The  first  Korean  was  baptized  in  1886,  and  from 
the  very  beginning,  through  these  twenty  years, 
progress  has  been  steady  and  rapid,  until  now  it  bids 
fair  to  leave  behind  even  Uganda  and  the  Telugus. 
The  door  is  not  only  wide  open,  but  the  encourage- 
ments remind  us  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands  eighty 
years  ago.  The  Emperor  has  acted  as  the  open  friend 
of  Protestant  missionaries,  and  while,  some  years 
since,  he  destroyed  thirty  heathen  temples  in  an<i 
about  Seoul,  and  officially  deplored  the  annual  waste 
of  money  at  idol  shrines,  he  gives  Christian  churches, 
schools,  and  hospitals  ample  room.  A  native  Korean 
leader  has  said  that  the  only  hope  of  the  country  is  in 
the  churches;  that  his  people  lack  moral  character, 
and  the  churches  are  supplying  it,  and  hence  to  con- 
vert and  educate  the  common  people  is  the  one 
remedy  for  his  land. 

The  author  of  this  book,  since  1885  a  missionary  in 
Korea,  pleads  for  reenforcements,  for  the  addition 


Introduction  13 

of  at  least  twenty  more  missionaries  to  work  in 
that  land.  In  his  opinion  and  that  of  his  fellow- 
workers,  no  such  crisis  has  ever  arisen  before.  The 
progress  of  Christianity  is  unpreeedentedly  rapid. 
!N'ative  churches,  instead  of  depending  on  foreign  aid, 
are  becoming  self-supporting,  self-governing,  self- 
propagating.  An  astonishing  revival  spirit  and  evan- 
gelistic zeal  prevail,  and  converts  are  gathering  by 
scores  and  hundreds.  Self-denying  giving  is  mani- 
fested in  a  unique  fashion,  volunteers  offering  for 
work  among  the  unsaved ;  those  who  have  little  money 
to  give,  pledging  days  of  service,  till  the  aggregate  in 
one  congregation  was  several  years  of  such  direct  per- 
sonal effort.  The  conditions  seem  primitive  and 
apostolic — the  arousing  of  a  whole  people — a  hunger 
for  the  Gospel — simplicity  of  faith  and  piety — readi- 
ness to  serve  and  suffer — universal  and  self-denying 
giving,  and  a  constant  and  rapid  conquest  by  the 
Gospel,     Heathenism  seems  to  be  in  flight ! 

And  now  the  all-important  question  is,  whether  the 
Church  of  Christ  will  respond  to  the  Macedonian  call 
of  Korea — nay,  to  the  majestic  summons  of  the  Cap- 
tain of  the  Lord's  Host.  This  book  is  a  sort  of 
silver  trumpet  like  those  which  Moses  was  bidden  to 
"make  for  the  calling  of  the  Assembly,  and  the  jour- 
neying of  the  camps."  May  Dr.  Underwood's  clear 
clarion  peal  rouse  the  whole  Church  to  duty  I 


THE   CALL  OF  KOREA 


THE  COUlSrTEY 

UP  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  China-Japan 
war  Korea,  The  Hermit  Nation,  was  almost 
unknown,  and  even  now  the  ideas  of  the  ma- 
jority are  more  or  less  vague  and  indefinite  as  to  its 
location. 

A  few  words,  then,  by  way  of  a  geographical  les- 
son may  not  be  amiss. 

Starting  from  the  west  coast  of  N'orth  America, 
from  Vancouver,  Tacoma,  Seattle,  San  Francisco,  or 
possibly  now  other  ports,  and  crossing 
the  sadly  misnamed  Pacific  Ocean  in  a  * 
westerly  direction,  after  a  journey  of  from  twelve  to 
eighteen  days,  one  reaches  the  islands  of  Japan  and 
in  all  probability  makes  his  first  landing  at  Yoko- 
hama. If  it  were  possible  to  continue  hence  directly 
westward  as  the  bird  flies,  after  crossing  the  Sea  of 
Japan,  in  but  a  few  hours  one  would  reach  a  small 
peninsula  running  almost  directly  north  and  south, 
with  the  Sea  of  Japan  on  the  east,  the  Yellow  Sea  on 
the  west,  and  bounded  on  the  north  by  Manchuria 
and  Eussian  Siberia. 

15 


1 6  The  Call  of  Korea 

The  so-called  peninsula  is,  if  our  geographical 
definitions  are  correct,  in  reality  an  island;  for  the 
Ever  White  Mountain  in  the  north  embraces  between 
its  two  peaks  a  lake  which  issues  in  a  turbulent  moun- 
tain stream,  with  cascades  and  rapids  which,  branch- 
ing ahnost  at  once,  sends  one  half  of  its  supply 
through  the  Turnen  River  to  swell  the  waters  of  the 
iSea  of  Japan,  while  its  other  half,  through  the  long, 
rapid,  and  tortuous  Amno  or  Yaloo  River,  deepens 
the  color  of  the  far-famed  Yellow  Sea. 

This  peninsula,  with  its  1750  miles  of  coast  for  its 

mainland,  has  an  area  of  almost  90,000  square  miles 

Sue  and  ^^^  ^^?  thus,  a  little  smaller  than  the  two 

comparifloa         g^^^gg  ^f  ;^g^  York  and  Pennsylvania: 

but  add  to  this  the  area  of  her  "Ten  Thousand 
Islands"  that  thickly  cluster  along  her  western  and 
southern  shores,  and  the  total  will  give  a  little  more 
than  that  of  the  above  two  states  for  the  Empire  of 
Korea.  Here,  then,  we  have  a  country  a  little  larger 
than  Great  Britain,  almost  half  the  size  of  the  Ger- 
man Empire,  or  about  the  same  as  the  Kingdom  of 
Italy. 

The  population  has  been  variously  estimated  and 
it  is  impossible  to  give  a  definite  and  exact  statement. 
Such  a  thing  as  a  popular  census  was  un- 
Popnlation  known  until  after  the  China-Japan  war. 
A  house  census  was  the  only  one  that  had  been  taken 
for  three  hundred  years,  as  there  was  a  house  tax.* 
The  best  way  to  estimate  was,  then,  to  take  the  num- 
*  Holbert's  "Hiatory  of  Korea,"  Vol.  II,  p.  174. 


The  Country 


17 


"ber  of  houses  for  which  the  regular  taxes  were  remit- 
ted to  Seoul.  Certainly,  in  accordance  with  Oriental 
custom,  this  would  be  apt  to  give  a  smaller  rather  than 
a  larger  number  than  there  actually  were,  as  it  would 
not  be  likely  for  a  magistrate  to  remit  taxes  for  more 
houses  than  his  county  contained,  whatever  he  might 
do  as  to  collections.  An  estimate  of  five  to  a  house 
was  considered  for  the  Orient  very  conservative,  and 
this  would  give  about  twelve  millions  or  a  little  more 
as  the  population.  Immediately  after  the  China- 
Japan  war,  when  a  popular  census  was  ordered,  it  was 
commonly  regarded  as  a  new  plan  for  increasing  taxa- 
tion and  all  who  could  avoided  it,  and  the  returns 
were  in  no  way  perfect.  The  report  from  the  De- 
partment of  the  Interior  for  1904  is  1,893,062  houses 
or  9,465,310  people.*  Other  estimates  vary  from 
eight  to  sixteen  millions,  so  that  about  twelve  millions 
seems  correct.  Here,  too,  the  comparison  given  above 

*  The  last  year  that  the  house  census  was  taken.    Copy  of  the 
Korean  Census  as  given  by  the  Department  of  the  Interior. 


Seoal 

Kyeng  Kui 

Ko.  Chung  Chyeng 
8o.  Chang  Chyeng. 

No.  ChyeT  La 

So.  ChyelLa 

No.  Kyeng  Sang. . . , 
So.  Kyeng  Sang.... 

Kang  Won 

Hwang  Hai 

No.  Pyeng  An 

So.  Pyeng  An 

No.  Ham  Kyeng. , . 
So.  Ham  Kyeng 


Number  of  honscB  from 

which    taxes 

are  re- 

Population.    Estimated 

ceived  at    the 

Loeal 

at  Ave  to  a  house 

Offices 

57,248 

286.240 

222,357 

1,111,785 

101,200 

606,000 

164,151 

820,755 

143,091 

715,745 

157,5«4 

787,820 

226,612 

1,133,060 

174,576 

872,880 

114,876 

574,380 

125,860 

629,300 

137.331 

686,655 

129,279 

646,395 

59,152 

295.760 

79,769 

398.825 

1 8  The  Call  of  Korea 

in  area  in  regard  to  the  two  states  of  Kew  York  and 
Pennsylvania  holds  about  the  right  place  for  popula- 
tion ;  and  we  have  in  Korea  a  country  of  which  both 
the  area  and  population  approximate  that  of  these 
two  states.  Although  it  approximates  these  two, 
Korea  is  more  thickly  settled  than  most  of  our  states. 
While  in  area  it  about  equals  that  of  Illinois  and 
Indiana  you  would  need  to  add  the  entire  population 
of  Pennsylvania  to  reach  that  of  Korea.  Either 
Tennessee  and  Louisiana  or  North  and  South  Caro- 
lina would  about  equal  her  area,  but  neither  two 
would  contain  more  than  one  quarter  of  the  popu- 
lation. 

To  the  sum  total  of  the  area  of  all  the  !N'ew  Eng- 
land states  you  would  have  to  add  that  of  both  Mary- 
land and  New  Jersey  to  approximate  Korea's  area 
and  the  population  of  the  large  state  of  New  York  to 
equal  her  population.* 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  noted  that  Korea  is 
an  extremely  mountainous  country  and  is  covered 
with  barren  mountains  and  scantily  clad  hills.  Some 
even  claim  that  only  one  fourth  of  the  land  is  arable. 
Not  a  few  writers  and  students  of  Korean  geography 
insist  that  this  is  a  true  proportion,  and  if  the  twelve 

•  CoMPAKATiyB  Density  of  Population. 

Belgiam  780  per  sqaare mile.  RnsBia              64  per eqnare mile. 

England  500  "        "         "  Cuba                  36 

Japan      284  "        "         "  United  States   21 

Italy        280  *'        **         "  Mexico              16 

China      270  "       "         "  Hawaii               16 

Germany250  '*        "         "  Cape  Colony       5 

France    186  "        "         "  Brazil                  4.5 

India       184  "       "         "  Argentine  Bep.  8 

Korea      159  "        "         "  Canada                2 
Spain        89  "        "         •' 
Tarr  and  McMorry's  Geography,  6th  Fart. 


The  Country  19 

millions  are  to  be  crowded  into  the  remaining  fourth 
one  can  readily  see  how  densely  this  country  is  settled 
and  how  such  a  reckoning  would  change  the  table 
given  below  and  place  Korea  at  the  head  instead  of 
the  middle  of  the  list. 

Still  greater  would  be  the  density  were  it  not  for 
high  mortality  among  the  people. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  list  of  diseases  as  found 
in  foreign  lands  many  others  such  as  Asiatic  cholera 
at  intervals  and  typhus  fever  almost  an-        ^. 

*'  ^^  Diseases  and 

nually  carry  off  their  thousands.  When  mortality 
cholera  arrives  its  victims  reach  the  tens  of  thousands 
per  month.  A  lack  of  knowledge  of  all  sanitary  laws 
adds  to  the  mortality  in  other  diseases,  and  smallpox 
and  tuberculosis  carry  off  more  than  their  share.  It 
is  true  that  the  birth-rate  is  very  high,  but  the  mor- 
tality is  equally  so,  especially  among  children. 

This  mortality  among,  little  children  is  appalling 
and  is  very  much  increased  not  only  through  their  en- 
tire lack  of  any  knowledge  of  sanitary  laws  or  of  med- 
icine, but  also  of  any  real  appreciation  of  the  needs  of 
little  children  and  the  care  exercised  in  foods  given. 
The  use  of  cow's  milk  is  almost  unknown  or  any 
method  of  artificial  feeding,  and  if  the  mother  dies, 
as  is  frequent  in  childbirth,  unless  a  wet  nurse  can 
be  afforded,  which  is  unusual  except  in  case  of  the 
very  rich,  the  child  is  almost  sure  to  die. 

There  is  absolutely  no  attempt  to  isolate  contagious 
diseases,  and  children  in  early  or  convalescent  stages 
of  the  most  contagious  diseases  are  carried  about 


ao  The  Call  of  Korea 

everywhere,  or  allowed  to  mingle  freely  with  those 
who  are  well.  In  a  number  of  cases  where  inquiry 
was  made  it  was  found  that  there  were  more  dead 
children  than  survivors  in  most  families,  and  in  cer- 
tain sections  parents  hesitate  to  count  their  children 
till  all  have  recovered  from  smallpox.  . 

The  Presbyterian  Church  has  in  the  two  states  of 
Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  with  all  the  other  large 
Churches  that  share  the  work  with  her  (so  that  not 
more  than  one  fifth  of  the  population  would  be  con- 
sidered as  coming  within  her  sphere),  2,239  ministers 
to  take  charge  of  the  work  and  yet  sends,  to  a  country 
of  the  same  size  (where  fully  one  half  of  the  popula- 
tion is  within  her  sphere),  about  one  one-hundredth  • 
of  this  number,  a  paltry  twenty-nine. 

Twenty  years  after  God  has  opened  Korea  to  the 
Gospel  there  are  from  all  Protestant  Churches  only 
about  65  ministers*  to  this  vast  population,  or  a  little 
more  than  one  to  every  200,000  people.f  What  are 
we  among  so  many  ?  What  can  we  do  ?  Is  it  to  be 
wondered  at  that  missionaries  break  down  ?  We  have 
not  yet  had  the  time  to  train  up  a  native  ministry. 
"Lay  hands  hastily  on  no  man"  applies  equally  to 
work  in  Mission  lands  to-day  as  it  did  in  the  days  of 
St.  Paul  and  with  even  more  force  in  these  heathen 
lands  where  no  light  of  the  worship  of  the  true  God 
has  yet  come ;  for  in  St.  Paul's  time  and  in  the  Mis- 
sion lands  of  those  days,  the  Jewish  synagogues,  with 
their  enlightening  influence,  were  to  be  found  almost 

♦  Report,  June  30, 1907.  f  See  Directory  of  Missions. 


The  Country  21 

everywhere ;  while  in  the  East  we  have  nothing  but 
black  heathenism.  As  we  will  show  further  on,  we 
have  endeavored  to  make  every  member  of  the  native 
Church  feel  his  individual  responsibility  in  making 
Christ  known  within  his  sphere,  and  while  the  results 
that  will  be  mentioned  later  will  be  seen,  in  the  main, 
to  be  the  work  of  the  natives,  we  have  *  as  yet  re- 
frained from  ordaining  but  very  few  as  preachers  of 
the  Gospel. 

The  country  is,  in  the  main,  mountainous,  a  rugged 
chain  running  parallel  to  the  east  coast  to  within  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  the  southern  country 
limit,  where,  dividing  into  two  almost  mountainoiis 
equal  branches,  it  forms  the  basin  for  the  Nak-tong 
Eiver. 

As  a  consequence  the  east  coast  is  precipitous,  with 
numerous  rapid-flowing  streams  such  as  the  salmon 
trout  enjoy  and  here  they  abound ;  while  west  of  this 
range  the  mountains  slope  more  gradually,  ending  in 
hills  and  undulating,  fertile  plains,  which  are  watered 
mainly  by  four  large  rivers.  The  Amno  or  Yalu  in 
the  extreme  north  has  already  been  referred  to  and 
forms  the  boundary  between  Korea  and  China  for  175 
miles,  and  the  native  tenacity  of  custom  and  language 
is  well  illustrated  here.  This  narrow  but  rapid 
stream,  in  many  places  barely  one  hundred  feet  wide, 
divides  peoples  of  two  distinct  nationalities.  On  the 
southern  side  one  sees  the  Korean  with  his  top-knot 

*  September,  1907.    There  are  only  seven  ordained  Presbyte- 
rian ministers,  ten  ordaioed  Methodist  piinisters. 


22  The  Call  of  Korea 

and  white  robes  ploughing  his  fields  with  his  steel- 
shod  plough  drawn  by  oxen,  and  on  the 
^'®"  other  side,   almost   within   hailing   dis- 

tance, walks  his  pig-tailed  neighbor  dressed  in  his 
blue  Chinese  costume,  guiding  a  wooden  plough 
drawn  by  mules.  A  little  further  south  the  next 
river  of  importance  is  the  Tai-tong,  on  which  is 
located  the  city  of  Pyeng  Yang.  The  most  southerly 
of  the  principal  rivers  is  the  Nak-tong  referred  to 
above,  with  Tai  Ku,  the  metropolis  of  the  south,  on 
its  banks,  but  most  important  to  Korea  is  the  River 
Han,  which  rises  in  the  Diamond  Mountains,  crosses 
the  whole  peninsula,  and  passing  the  city  of  Seoul, 
empties  into  the  Yellow  Sea  by  two  mouths,  thus 
embracing  the  island  of  Kang  Wha,  with  Chemulpo, 
the  principal  port  of  Korea,  on  its  southerly  outlet. 
Along  all  these  rivers,  cutting  their  way  through  the 
mountain  passes  with  fine  falls  and  beautiful  rapids, 
charming  scenery  is  found.  In  the  rainy  season  the 
heavy  fall  of  water  often  swells  them  to  three  and 
four  times  their  size,  raising  their  level  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet  in  less  than  as  many  hours. 

On  the  east  there  is  only  a  rise  and  fall  of  from 
one  to  two  feet  in  the  tide,  while  the  gradual  nar- 
rowing of  the  shores  of  the  Yellow  Sea  and  the  pecu- 
liar formation  of  Korea's  western  coast 
give  us  a  rise  and  fall  of  from  twenty- 
eight  to  thirty-eight  feet,  one  of  the  highest  tides 
in  the  world.  This  brings  with  it  correspondingly 
swift  and  varying  currents,  which,  with  the  unc^r- 


ROYAL   BUILDINGS   AT  THE  OLD  EAST   PALACES. 
Seouly  Korea. 


A  FOUR  BULL  CART  HAULING  STONE. 


The  Country  23 

tain  fogs  that  constantly  envelop  the  coast  and  the 
innumerable  islands  and  inlets  that  fring  the  shores, 
make  navigation  none  too  easy. 

As  one  first  approaches  Korea,  especially  if  one 
has  come  from  the  fertile  and  verdant  terraced  hills 
of  Japan,  the  bleakness  and  barrenness  of  Korea's 
mountains  is  oppressive.  Tradition  has  it  that  the 
Korean,  in  his  desire  to  maintain  his  in-  Fertility  of 
dependence,  deemed  that  he  could  do  it  '°^ 
best  by  a  determined  exclusion  of  all  outsiders  and, 
with  the  intention  of  making  Korea  appear  desolate 
and  unattractive,  he  purposely  devastated  the  whole 
coast.  Whether  there  is  truth  in  this  or  not,  it  re- 
mains a  fact  that  the  seaward  coast  of  almost  all  its 
islands,  even  where  they  have  a  southern  exposure, 
is  barren,  rugged,  and  desolate,  while  ofttimes  the 
northern  but  landward  side  is  well  cultivated,  woody, 
and  fertile,  and  that,  while  the  whole  coast  line  ap- 
pears so  bleak  and  bare,  when  one  travels  in  the  in- 
terior, one  is  charmed  with  the  many  fertile  hills  and 
valleys,  teeming  with  grain  and  yielding  such  crops 
that,  while  not  all  of  the  arable  land  is  cultivated, 
there  is  ample  for  Korea's  millions,  leaving  a  large 
balance  in  all  good  years  for  export.  And  right  here 
it  might  be  well  to  add  a  word  about  Korea's  exports 
and  imports.  Without  any  systematic  attempt  to  de- 
velop these,  for  the  past  five  years  the  Exports  and 
value  of  exports  has  averaged  $4,000,-  ^po^* 
000,  without  including  the  gold  bullion,  which  would 
bring  a  total  of  $6,500,000.    Of  the  average  annual 


24  The  Call  of  Korea 

export,  with  the  exception  of  gold,  almost  three 
fourths  is  farm  products,  and  with  very  little  or- 
ganized encouragement  this  $3,000,000  cpuld  be 
doubled. 

As  to  imports,  for  years  they  naturally  far  ex- 
ceeded the  exports,  but  the  discrepancy  has  gradually 
been  reduced  until  for  the  past  few  years  they  have 
been  nearly  even.  Goods  exported  are,  in  the  order 
of  predominance,  gold  bullion,  beans,  rice,  ginseng, 
cowhides,  raw  cotton,  fish,  seaweed,  etc.  The  im- 
ports, English  and  American  shirtings,  cotton  goods, 
thread,  yarn,  petroleum,  clothing,  provisions,  timber, 
soap,  and  sugar. 

/  In  1904  there  was  a  sudden  marked  increase  in 
imports,  bringing  up  a  total  of  $8,800,000,  but  this 
was  due  almost  entirely  to  over  $2,000,000  of  railway 
material  for  construction  of  new  lines.  This  was 
mainly  from  America,  and  it  was  with  some  feelings 
of  national  pride  that  American  missionaries  rode  in 
cars  made  at  Wilmington,  Del.,  drawn  by  a  Baldwin 
locomotive,  on  rails  from  the  Carnegie  works,  nailed 
to  Oregon  ties  with  American  spikes.  Thus  do  com- 
merce and  the  Church  go  hand  in  hand,  here  as  else- 
where, in  forwarding  His  kingdom  and  spreading 
abroad  the  knowledge  of  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

Of  one  thing  in  Korea  we  residents  boast  not  a  lit- 
tle, and  that  is  our  climate.     If  we  omit  the  six  weeks 

Qj.  4  ^'^  two  months  of  our  rainy  season,  it  is 

latitude  exceptionaL     With  our  temperate  sum- 

mer we  have  a  brisk,  clear,  cold  winter.     The  climate 


The  Country  25 

of  Korea  is  quite  different  from  what  one  would 
gather  when  considering  its  position  on  the  map. 

We  can  see  at  a  glance  that  in  latitude  it  corre- 
sponds to  northern  Persia  and  southern  Spain  and 
that  it  is  in  the  main  south  of  southern  Italy,  that 
the  southern  half  corresponds  to  northern  Africa 
and  that  almost  the  whole  of  Korea  would  lie  among 
our  own  southern  states ;  and  yet,  we  have  severe  win- 
ters and  the  summers  are  not  as  hot  as  the  residents 
of  the  Barbary  States  of  Africa  would  expect.  The 
peninsula  runs  through  nine  degrees  of  latitude  from 
34°  to  43°  N".  The  temperature  varies  from  20°  be- 
low zero  F.  in  winter  in  the  extreme  north  to  98°  F. 
and  over  in  the  summer  in  the  south.  The  average 
summer  temperature  at  the  capital  is  75°  F.,  that  of 
winter  33°  F.  The  Han  River,  a  swift-flowing  stream, 
in  most  places  over  half  a  mile  wide,  freezes  over 
every  year  and  is  traversed  by  heavily  laden  ox  carts, 
the  ice  varying  in  thickness  from  four  inches  in  a  mild 
year  to  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  in  a  severe  season. 
The  reason  for  this  mildness  of  climate  is  that  the 
warm  Pacific  current  which  in  part  corresponds  to  the 
Atlantic  GuK-Stream,  flowing  in  a  westerly  direction, 
strikes  the  east  coast  of  Japan  at  the  island  of  Kiu- 
shu,  and  following  this  coast  in  a  north  but  somewhat 
easterly  course,  gives  to  these  islands  their  beauti- 
fully warm  but,  at  the  same  time,  damp  climate  that 
has  made  them  a  very  paradise  of  verdure.  This 
same  stream,  however,  forces  the  cold  waters  of  the 
Behring  Sea  down  through  the  La  Perouse  Strait  be- 


26  The  Call  of  Korea 

tween  the  Japanese  island  of  Yezo  and  the  Russian 
island  of  Sakhalien  and  through  the  Japan  Sea ;  this 
tempers  the  heat  of  Korea  and  makes  the  far-famed 
port  of  Vladivostok  a  closed  port  in  winter.  Russia 
might  have  no  need  to  seek  an  open  port  elsewhere, 
for  Russian  engineers  have  proclaimed  it  feasible  and 
practicable  to  close  these  two  straits  and,  thus  divert- 
ing this  cold  stream,  to  make  Vladivostok  an  open 
port  the  year  round.  Such  an  undertaking  would 
very  materially  affect  the  climate  of  Korea. 

We  have  said  that  with  the  single  exception  of  the 
six  to  eight  weeks  of  rainy  season,  the  climate  is  ex- 
cellent. But  what  of  this  six  to  eight  weeks  ?  Oh, 
how  it  pours !  with  brief  and  rare  intermissions,  and 
at  times  changing  a  deep  valley  bottom  into  a  raging 
river  in  a  few  minutes.  Nothing  seems  to  shed  this 
rain.  The  best  of  roofs  is  severely  tested.  Early  in 
our  residence,  while  living  in  native  houses,  when 
calling  at  the  office  of  the  American  physician,  I 
found  him  sitting,  writing  at  his  desk,  rubber  boots 
and  waterproof  on,  and  an  umbrella  suspended  from 
the  ceiling  to  enable  him  to  pursue  his  work  and  keep 
dry.  While  conditions  are  better  now,  few  roofs 
always  withstand  the  wind  and  rain. 

The  largest  rainfall  that  is  recorded  is  5  inches 

in  twenty-four  hours;  21.86  inches  for  a  rainy  season. 

The  average  yearly  rainfall  is  36  inches. 

Thus   it  will   be   seen   that   while   the 

annual  rainfall  is  not  excessive,  it  mainly  comes  in 

one  or  two  months,  and  with  a  country  as  cold  aa 


The  Country  27 

Korea,  with  its  comparatively  early  winter,  the 
growth  of  rice  is  very  precarious.  A  few  weeks'  de- 
lay in  the  arrival  of  the  rainy  season  will  sometimes 
so  seriously  retard  the  planting  of  the  rice  that  it  will 
not  mature  before  the  early  frosts,  and  when  this  hap- 
pens, at  least  a  partial  famine  results.  Korea's  main 
crop  and  chief  means  of  sustenance  is  rice,  and  yet  it 
has  well  been  said  that  "In  Korea  the  rice  crop  is  a 
lottery." 

The  scenery  throughout  the  interior  is  most  charm- 
ing. True,  to  a  large  extent  the  improvident  cutting 
of  tlie  timber  has  left  the  hills  and  moun- 
tains bare  and  has  consequently  been  °^^"^ 
followed  by  a  washing  down  of  the  soil  that  once  cov- 
ered their  tops,  but  this  in  reality  only  adds  another 
charm  to  the  scenery. 

Mrs.  Bishop  describes  Seoul  as  one  of  the  most 
beautifully  situated  cities  of  the  world,  and  says 
another  writer : 

"Along  the  Han  and  Tai-dong  rivers  may  be  found 
combinations  of  river  and  mountain  scenery  well 
worthy  of  a  visit.  Korea  is  a  land  of  wonderfully 
clear  and  lucid  atmosphere,  rugged  mountains, 
at  times  ablaze  with  a  riot  of  wild  flowers,  varied 
with  peaceful  farming  scenes,  sleepy  villages,  and 
rare  sunsets."* 

The  bare  hilltops,  bright  red  and  yellow,  make  a 
most  picturesque  background  for  the  remarkably  rich 
valleys  and  plains  that  have  been  so  well  fertilized  by 
♦  Jones:  "Korea,"  p.  11. 


28  The  Call  of  Korea 

the  alluvion  of  the  hills  and  that  are  renewed  year  by 
year  by  these  yearly  deposits.  Of  any  knowledge  as 
to  the  proper  proportion  between  stock-  and  crop-rais- 
ing, or  the  production  and  use  of  fertilizers,  or  of  an 
adequate  adjustment  in  the  rotation  of  crops,  the 
Korean  is  sadly  deficient.  He  knows  that  fertilizers 
must  be  applied,  but  often  in  the  application  one 
half  or  two  thirds  is  wasted  through  ignorance.  He 
has  found  that  the  constant  raising  of  the  same  crop 
on  the  same  field  produces  a  deterioration  of  the  soil, 
and  so  from  time  to  time  he  changes,  but  as  to  the 
"why  and  wherefore,"  he  has  never  asked ;  and  as  to 
any  systematic  knowledge  of  rotation,  he  has  it  not. 

And  yet  the  Korean  soil  yields  a  fine  crop.     It  is 
almost  like  virgin  soil  on  the  Western  prairies.    With 
but    little  ^  work    everything    seems    to 
^  thrive,  and  the  Korean's  rule  for  econ- 

omy of  labor,  namely,  to  "put  forth  as  small  an  effort 
as  possible,  for  as  large  a  return  as  can  be  obtained," 
finds  a  good  measure  of  success. 

For  tools,  Korea  is  better  off  than  her  neighbors. 
She  has  an  iron  plow  of  fairly  good  form  that  throws 
the  furrow  to  the  left ;  and  a  number  of  simple  hand 
hoes,  dibbles,  etc.,  etc.,  with  which  to  make  farming 
more  easy.  For  ditching  and  levelling,  she  has  what 
has  been  humorously  termed  "Korea's  steam  shovel." 
It  consists  of  a  long-handled  wooden  shovel  shod  with 
an  iron-pointed  blade.  To  the  upper  corners  of  the 
shovel  are  attached  ropes,  two  and  sometimes  four, 
and  with  one  or  two  men  to  ^ide  the  handle  and 


WOMEN   IKONING. 


THE    ECONOMY    OF    LABOR. 
I'ive  Man  Single  Shoiel.  Korea. 


The  Country  19 

three,  six,  and  eight  men  to  give  the  proper  jerk  and 
impetus  after  it  has  been  well  placed,  no  small  amount 
of  work  is  done.  At  times,  when  there  is  a  piece  of 
extra-heavy  work,  two  of  these  shovels  are  fastened 
together  so  as  to  make  a  scoop  and,  with  a  gang  of  fif- 
teen or  twenty  men,  some  pretty  rapid  (for  the  Ori- 
ent) ditching,  diking,  or  levelling  is  the  result. 

As  has  been  noted  above,  rice  is  the  principal  and 
most  important  crop  in  the  peninsula,  but  barley, 
beans,  wheat,  and  a  great  variety  of  millets,  both  tall 
and  dwarf,  and  in  some  sections  oats,  are  largely 
grown.  In  certain  sections  in  the  north-east  pota- 
toes are  raised  and  are  the  staple  diet.  We  can  find 
no  record  of  their  introduction  and  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  they  are  indigenous.*  There 
are  three  native  varieties  which,  though  small,  are  of 
fine  flavor,  and  when  properly  cultivated  grow  to  a 
good  size. 

They  have  also  a  good  variety  of  vegetables  which, 
though  coarse  and  wanting  in  flavor,  they  use  in  vari- 
ous ways,  but  mainly  in  the  form  of  salt  pickles, 
which  are  a  most  important  part  of  a  Korean  meal. 
Their  cabbage,  which  is  a  cross  between  our  cabbage 
and  lettuce,  is  most  largely  used,  but  their  radishes, 

*  While  Qriffls  and,  following  him,  certain  others  record  that 
Gutzlafl  when  he  landed  on  certain  islands  off  the  Province  of 
ChuUa  Do  in  1832  introduced  potatoes  and  other  seeds,  not  only 
is  this  difficult  to  verify  but  the  fact  that  the  Korean  potatoes  are 
found  chiefly  in  the  north-east,  and  are  scarcely  found  at  all  near 
Chulla  Do,  would  scarcely  make  this  statement,  even  if  true, 
militate  against  the  theory  just  stated. 


30  The  Call  of  Korea 

which  grow  as  large  as  our  turnips,  and  cucumbers, 
are  very  important  ingredients.  The  finer  varieties 
of  this  pickle,  or  "kimchi,"  contain  also  spices,  nuts, 
fish,  etc.,  and  are  much  appreciated  by  most  foreign- 
ers ;  while  the  conmaoner  varieties  are,  to  the  foreign 
taste,  unpalatable. 

The  climate  of  the  extreme  north  naturally  differs 
from  that  of  the  south  not  a  little,  and  the  country 
shows  a  corresponding  difference  in  vegetation. 

Of  fruits  Korea  has  a  fair  share,  but  the  lack  of 
any  concerted  means  for  the  extermination  of  the 
various  parasites  and  germs  that  attack  plant  life  is  so 
disastrous  to  the  fruit,  when  fully  ripe,  that  the 
Koreans  almost  invariably  pick  it  when  still  green. 
The  Korean  plums  are  delicious,  but  the  prevalence 
and  abundance  of  the  curculio  detract  not  a  little 
from  one's  enjoyment.  Apricots  and  nectarines  can 
more  often  be  obtained  fully  ripe  and  attain  a  good 
size.  Peaches  of  varied  kinds  are  also  found  but 
seldom  to  be  bought  in  good  condition.  The  Siberian 
crab  apple  comes  to  perfection  here  and  in  good  years 
can  be  had  much  larger  than  our  home  "Lady  Apple," 
but  the  only  other  apples  in  Korea  are  beautiful  to 
look  upon  but  prove  to  be  a  delusion  and  a  snare. 
The  pears  as  commonly  bought  on  the  market  are 
tasteless  and  chippy,  but  form  a  good  basis  on  which 
to  use  sugar  and  flavoring  extracts  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  preserves.  There  are,  however,  in  one  or  two 
favored  places,  pears  of  a  better  quality  which,  after 
allowing  a  few  years  to  forget  the  taste  of  good,  lus- 


The  Country  31 

cious  fruit,  will  be  much  appreciated,  until  another 
visit  is  made  to  the  home  land. 

Grapes  grow  nearly  everywhere  through  middle 
and  southern  Korea. 

The  finest  of  all  Korean  fruits  is  the  persimmon. 
Much  has  been  said  about  the  Japanese  persimmon, 
of  which  large  numbers  of  trees  have  ,j^^ 

been  imported  into  California  and  other  persimmon 
of  our  states,  but  to  fully  appreciate  this  fruit  it 
should  be  tasted  in  Korea. 

As  far  as  Korea's  natural  resources  are  concerned, 
they  are  at  present  almost  entirely  undeveloped  and 
seem  almost  limitless.  The  remarks  made  above,  in 
regard  to  the  small  proportion  of  usable  land  that  is 
under  cultivation,  will  show  what  opportunity  there 
is,  from  an  agricultural  standpoint.  Even  now  little 
Korea  ranks  as  the  fifth  largest  cotton-producing 
country  in  the  world;  and  this  with  but  indifferent 
seed  and  no  encouragement. 

The  fact  that  the  sharp  grass  of  Japan  is  death  to 
sheep,  and  that  in  Korea  sheep  are  seldom  seen,  led 
Mrs.  Bishop  to  believe  that  the  same  was  true  of 
Korea,  while  in  reality  that  in  Korea  has  proven  to  be 
specially  well  adapted  for  sheep;  and  the  grass-cov- 
ered lower  slopes  of  her  hillsides,  with  their  beauti- 
ful springs  and  water  supply,  open  up  bright  pros- 
pects here  if  the  people  are  properly  guided. 

Then,  too,  her  coasts  abound  in  fish  of  every 
variety;  and  if  the  means  for  transit  and  export 
were  only  opened  up,  no  small  trade  would  speedily 


34  The  Call  of  Korea 

be  developed  with  her  neighbors,  Japan  and  China. 
From  a  mineral  standpoint,  Korea  is  by  no  means 
a  pauper.  While  she  is  not  the  El  Dorado  that  she 
was  at  one  time  claimed  to  be,  yet  we  find 
that  she  has  her  share  of  this  class  of 
goods.  Coal  of  an  excellent  quality  abounds,  a  spe- 
cies of  anthracite  which,  although  soft  and  crumbling, 
it  is  believed  will  be  harder  and  more  adapted  to 
handling  when  the  mines  are  deeper  and  we  get  that 
which  has  not  been  subjected  to  the  disintegrating  in- 
fluences of  the  elements  for  generations.  Iron  ore 
abounds,  and  even,  in  some  mines,  that  great  rarity, 
natural  metallic  iron,  is  common.  Copper  is  plentiful, 
though  the  poverty  of  method  and  cost  of  mining  had 
caused  the  mines  to  be  abandoned  when  Korea  was 
first  opened  until  "Amalgamated  Copper"  in  the 
United  States  so  raised  the  price  that  it  paid  to  re- 
open Korea's  mines.  Thus  the  action  of  one  part  of 
this  little  world  reacts  everywhere.  Quicksilver  and 
lead  abound,  and  it  is  said  that  tin  is  plentiful.  Sil- 
ver is  also  found  in  considerable  quantities  in  the 
south,  where  by  melting  the  ore  they  secure  an  amal- 
gam, which  contains  a  large  amount  of  silver  mixed 
with  copper  and  a  small  but  paying  percentage  of 
gold. 

From  time  immemorial,  when  all  that  the  West 

knew  of  Korea  was  from  the  Arabs,  her  gold  has  been 

famed.     At  that  time  she  was  not  called 

^^*  ''Korea"  but  "Silla,"  and  she  was  said 

to  abound  in  the  precious  metal.     Her  rivers,  how- 


The  Country  23 

ever,  do  not  "flow  gold" ;  her  plains  are  not  made  up 
of  gold  dust;  and  her  mountains  are  not  a  "pile  of 
gold  nuggets."  Crude  placer  mining  has  been  car- 
ried on  for  generations  in  the  valley  bottoms,  but  the 
efforts  are  very  primitive,  and  the  method  of  washing 
the  gold-bearing  vein  very  poor.  The  presence  of 
gold  dust  in  these  valleys  in  such  paying  quantities 
seemed  to  indicate  that  there  must  be  gold  in  the 
mountains  from  which  the  sand  had  been  washed  and 
yet,  up  to  the  arrival  of  foreigners,  quartz  mining  was 
almost  unknown,  or  but  poorly  carried  on.  Conces- 
sions have  of  late  years  been  granted  to  American, 
German,  English,  and  French  syndicates,  and  others 
have  been  demanded.  As  far  as  they  have  been 
worked,  they  are  paying  well. 

With  the  exception  of  gold  dust,  which  is  largely 
exported  to  make  up  the  balance  of  trade,  Korean 
ginseng  is  the  most  profitable  article  of 
commerce  in  the  kingdom.  The  variety 
of  red  ginseng,  prepared  from  that  grown  here,  and 
the  preparation  of  which  is  a  secret,  is  most  highly 
prized  in  China.  It  is  a  government  monopoly,  and 
the  output  is  very  carefully  guarded  in  the  fear  that 
an  overstocking  of  the  market  may  produce  a  "slump" 
in  price. 

Song  Do,  the  capital  during  the  rule  of  the  dy- 
nasty that  preceded  that  now  in  power,  is  the  centre 
of  this  industry ;  and,  consequently,  is  the  commercial 
centre  of  the  whole  land;  and  is,  in  size,  the  second 
city  of  the  kingdom. 


34  The  Call  of  Korea 

Permits  are  granted  for  its  farming,  the  product  of 
which  can  only  be  sold  to  the  Government  at  a  price 
set  by  the  officials  in  charge  for  that  year.  No  little 
smuggling  is  done  by  Koreans,  Japanese,  and  Chi- 
nese, who  realize  great  profit  therefrom.  The  best 
ginseng  must,  however,  be  at  least  three  years  old, 
and  can  only  be  gathered  at  certain  seasons ;  thus  en- 
abling the  government  to  guard  its  interest  much 
more  easily  than  were  the  crop  obtainable  at  all 
times. 

The  red  ginseng  cannot  well  be  prepared  secretly 
and  the  monopoly  of  this  is,  with  ease,  consequently, 
very  strictly  maintained. 

Korea's  resources  are  numerous,  her  possibilities 
are  great  and,  for  her  size,  with  a  proper  government 
and  good  advisers,  she  would  soon  be  a  rich  little 
country;  but  at  the  present  time  everything  is  most 
primitive.  On  reaching  her  shores  and  mingling 
among  her  people,  especially  when  we  first  arrived, 
we  felt  that  we  were  suddenly  transplanted  to  the 
Middle  Ages. 

Each  farm  and  farmer  was  almost  absolutely  self- 
dependent.  True,  their  tools  were  crude,  their 
means  were  meagre ;  but  it  was  astonishing  to  see  the 
feats  they  had  accomplished  without  machines  of  any 
kind.  If  you  desired  a  piece  of  thick  rope  you  could 
not  purchase  it;  but  you  could  buy  the  straw  or 
hemp,  and  any  coolie  would  soon  twist  it  for  you. 
The  farmer,  at  whose  house  you  were  stopping,  was 
dressed  in  homespun  cotton  goods;  lived  in  a  house 


The  Country  25 

which  had  been  built  by  himself  and  neighbors  and 
•was  covered,  perhaps,  by  tiles  that  had  been  moulded 
and  burnt  in  his  yard ;  made  his  own  tools,  and,  when 
his  iron  kettle  needed  mending,  would  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, with  a  little  clay,  etc.,  rig  up  a  small  blast  fur- 
nace, in  which  to  melt  some  scrap  iron  and  repair  his 
cast-iron  pot. 

With  such  a  primitive  people,  great  wealth,  as  we 
understand  it,  would  not  exist;  and  yet,  there  are 
powerful  nobles,  who  have  large  estates  and  ample  in- 
comes ;  but  to  a  Korean,  unless  he  has  influence  with 
the  powers  that  be,  the  possession  of  wealth  will  be  a 
snare  and  a  hindrance,  rather  than  a  benefit.  It 
will  be  the  bait  to  tempt  some  shark  of  an  official. 
Some  charge  will  be  trumped  up  against  him,  his  ar- 
rest ordered;  and,  even  though  he  should  prove  his 
innocence,  he  will  be  exceedingly  fortunate  if  he 
comes  out  without  having  been  completely  fleeced. 

In  a  country,  then,  where  the  possession  of  wealth, 
except  by  the  favored  few  who  are  in  power,  is  a 
crime;  where  the  soil  yields  easily,  with  but  little 
effort,  more  than  sufficient  for  one's  sustenance ; 
where  in  this  way  the  government  practically  puts  a 
premium  on  laziness,  can  we  be  surprised  that 
the  people  have  been  sometimes  called  "lazy 
Koreans"  ? 

This  oppression  has  not  been  without  its  good  ef- 
fect, however,  for  in  no  little  degree  do  we  believe  the 
very  open-handedness  and  liberality  of  the  people  is 
due  to  it.     Few  aim  at  amassing  great  wealth,  which 


36  The  Call  of  Korea 

for  its  own  sake  does  not  seem  to  be  sought  by  the 
Koreans,  and  misers  are  almost  unknown. 

It  is  only  fair  to  note,  however,  in  this  connection, 
that  the  Korean,  placed  in  favorable  surroundings, 
proves  himself  neither  lazy,  shiftless,  nor  slow. 

In  Hawaii,  on  the  sugar  plantations,  the  overseers 
have  been  very  quick  to  recognize  the  value  of  the 
Koreans,  asserting  that  they  are  more  industrious, 
frugal,  and  sober  than  any  laborers  they  have  ever 
had.  The  superintendents  of  the  Korean  mines,  both 
English  and  American,  men  who  have  had  experience 
with  every  kind  and  class  of  miners  in  Australia,  Col- 
orado, Alaska,  and  South  Africa,  are  unanimous  in 
awarding  the  palm  to  the  Korean.  The  American 
and  Korean  Electric  Company  of  Seoul  have  found 
the  Korean  not  only  reliable  as  a  laborer  but  quick  to 
learn  and  soon  able  to  work  into  positions  as  con- 
ductors, motormen,  and  assistant  engineers,  and  that 
in  this  work  they  are  steady  and  trustworthy. 

Erom  what  has  already  been  said,  it  will  have  been 
inferred  that  the  government  is  not  of  the  best.  IsTom- 
inally,  it  is  a  good  system.  It  is  in  truth 
a  Paternal  Monarchy,  with  certain  re- 
strictions upon  the  powers  of  the  monarch  laid  down 
by  law  and  tradition. 

Korea  is  called  an  absolute  monarchy  or  empire; 
and  yet  there  is  a  written  constitution  that  limits  the 
power  of  the  Emperor  and  accords  certain  rights  to 
the  people.  In  its  workings  the  Emperor  appears  to 
have  absolute  power  of  life  and  death  over  his  sub- 


The  Country  37 

jects;  and  yet,  while  he  may  appoint  a  judge  who 
will,  regardless  of  law  and  justice,  carry  out  the 
wishes  of  his  Imperial  Master,  he  cannot  deprive  the 
poorest  citizen  of  his  life  and  liberty  without,  at  least, 
the  form  and  due  process  of  law.  Given  an  ignorant 
people  with  an  ideal  Paternal  Monarchy  and  you  will 
have  an  ideal  government,  but  the  ideal  monarch  is 
almost  impossible  to  find,  and  when  this  monarch, 
although  kind,  is  weak  and  is  surrounded  by  a  host  of 
officials,  who  are  each  simply  striving  to  line  his 
own  pocket  as  best  he  can,  the  result  may  well  be 
imagined. 

When  Korea  was  first  opened  we  found  a  system  of 
civil  service  examination  in  vogue  in  the  capital  and 
provincial  cities  that  nominally  opened  every  office 
and  position  by  competitive  examinations  to  anyone 
in  the  whole  land,  regardless  of  birth  and  wealth. 
But  the  examination  papers  had  to  be  thrown  into  an 
enclosure,  where  they  were  piled  up  by  the  thousands, 
and  the  political  storm  raged  so  wildly,  and  the  winds 
of  envy  and  greed  blew  with  such  force,  that  all 
papers  that  were  not  weighted  down  by  a  good,  heavy 
string  of  Korean  cash  were  blown  away  beyond  the 
ken  of  the  examiners. 

These  "Kwagas"  or  Civil  Service  Examinations, 
being  mainly  in  regard  to  efficiency  in  the  Chinese 
classics,  and  having  been  so  terribly  abused,  were, 
with  one  stroke  of  the  pen,  all  lopped  off  when  the 
pro-Japan  party  came  into  power  after  the  China- 
Japan  war.    It  was  the  evident  intention  of  the  Pro- 


38  The  Call  of  Korea 

gressive  party  to  replace  them  by  a  system  of  advance- 
ment according  to  merit  and  merit  only  in  the  various 
departments,  but  this  was  soon  overruled  and,  regard- 
less of  fitness,  men  were  moved  from  one  department 
to  another  entirely  in  accord  with  the  strength  of 
their  political  "pull"  or,  more  commonly,  the  length 
of  their  purse. 

Every  kind  of  office  was  sold,  and  positions  that 
yielded  but  a  nominal  salary  brought,  for  their  worth, 
fabulous  prices.  When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  the 
tenure  of  this  office  was  uncertain,  one  can  readily 
realize  the  life  that  was  led  by  a  people  from  whom 
each  official  expected  to  get  back  his  investment  with 
proper  interest.  These  hardships  were  often  much 
mollified  by  those  who  learned  to  stand  up  for  their 
rights,  and  in  almost  every  case  where  the  "op- 
pressed" determinedly  carried  his  appeal  against  the 
"oppressor"  from  court  to  court,  he  has  won  his  case. 

Dr.  Jaisohn,  the  celebrated  Korean  who  became 
an  American  and  now  resides  in  the  States,  while 
temporarily  in  Korea,  as  adviser  to  the  govern- 
ment, did  not  hesitate  by  pen  and  voice  to  try  and  in- 
stil this  idea  into  the  Koreans,  and  in  a  stirring  ad- 
dress, delivered  before  a  large  and  representative 
Korean  audience,  declared  that  it  was  the  people's 
own  fault  that  they  were  oppressed;  that  were  they 
but  united  on  the  side  of  the  right,  no  prince  on  earth 
could  oppress  them;  but  with  few  means  of  inter- 
communication it  was  not  easy  for  them  to  unite  and 
organize. 


The  Country  39 

To-day,  much  as  we  had  hoped  from  the  promises 
of  the  present  rulers,  matters  are  no  better  than  be- 
fore, in  many  places  worse,  as  the  native  has  not  only 
to  cope  with  the  oppression  of  the  oflficials  of  his  own 
nationality,  but,  added  to  this,  the  rapacity  of  both 
foreign  officials  and  colonists.  It  is  not  the  province 
of  this  little  book  to  discuss  the  political  situation,  but 
merely  to  state  the  facts ;  and  thus  far  the  conditions 
are  certainly  worse  than  they  were,  and  it  is  earnestly 
to  be  hoped  that  the  controlling  power  will  make  good 
her  loud  promises  to  the  world  and  see  that  common 
justice  is  done  in  Korea. 

It  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  nominally  at  least, 
Korea  has  been  left  an  independent  nation,  and 
Japan,  having  placed  the  son  of  the  ex-Emperor  on 
the  throne,  accords  to  him  the  title  of  Emperor  while 
reserving  the  right  to  guide  and  control  his  actions. 

The  central  government  from  the  very  start  evinced 
a  spirit  of  non-interference  with,  if  not  at  times  of 
real  favor  toward,  the  missions  and  mis-        Attitude  of 

A  ^•  L     ^        •    •    ,         /•  goTeniment  to 

sionaries.  An  accredited  mmister  irom  iiasions 
Korea  to  the  United  States,  in  the  Legation  at  Wash- 
ington, thanked  a  missionary  for  what  missions  were 
doing  and  urged  him  to  secure  more  missionaries  that 
they  might  help  in  the  teaching  of  his  countrymen. 
A  former  Minister  of  the  Interior,  when  talking  with 
a  representative  of  the  Church  in  America,  said, 
"The  spread  of  Christianity  is  the  hope  of  my  coun- 
try. About  what  your  people  say  in  regard  to 
heaven  and  hell  and  a  hereafter  and  Jesus  Christ,  I 


40  The  Call  of  Korea 

do  not  know,  I  have  not  studied;  but  I  have  noted 
that  all  the  great  countries  of  the  world  are  Christian, 
and  I  believe,  if  the  people  of  my  country  become 
Christian,  my  country,  too,  will  advance." 

At  another  time  a  prime  minister  was  planning  for 
the  king  to  become  a  Christian,  for,  although  not  such 
himself,  he  said,  "Only  with  a  God-fearing  king  who 
knows  that  he  must  render  account  as  to  how  he  rules 
this  country,  can  we  have  a  good  government." 

Again,  when  Bishop  Ninde  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  was  accorded  a  private  audience  by  the 
Emperor,  he  thanked  him  for  the  teachers  that  the 
Church  has  been  sending  and  expressed  a  hope  that 
more  would  come. 

Of  cities,  Korea  has  none  that  might  be  called 

great.     Seoul,  the  capital,  has  a  population  of  about 

■n-  ^.v  ^-        300,000,  and  is  situated  on  the  River 

Distribution  '         ' 

of  population  g^n  at  a  distance  by  land  of  about 
twenty-five  miles  from  the  nearest  seaport,  that  of 
Chemulpo,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  rail.  The 
city  is  beautifully  located  in  a  natural  basin,  almost 
entirely  surrounded  by  hills,  between  the  North  and 
South  Mountains.  "All  roads  lead  to  Seoul"  and  the 
capital  is  a  pattern  for  the  whole  land.  Here  mission 
work  was  first  started  and  here  most  of  the  Missions 
have  their  headquarters,  and  it  is  the  centre  for  a 
widespread  country  work  that  stretches  out  in  all  di- 
rections and  includes  a  population  of  about  three 
millions  of  people. 

In  the  city  itself,  however,  where  the  bulk  of  the 


The  Country  41 

people  are  either  oflSce  holders  or  seekers,  with  their 
retainers,  it  has  not  been  so  easy  to  secure  a  hearing 
for  the  Gospel. 

Despite  all  difficulties,  a  fine  work  is  in  progress  in 
four  Methodist  and  three  Presbyterian  churches, 
and  in  a  large  and  flourishing  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association. 

The  first  city  of  commercial  importance  and  the 
second  in  size  is  that  of  Sang  Do.  It  was  the  capital 
of  the  country  till  1392  and  has  a  population  of  al- 
most 200,000.  In  this  city  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  (South)  of  the  United  States  has  a  station 
and  flourishing  work. 

The  third  city  of  the  country  is  Tai  Ku  in  the 
south,  the  centre  of  the  most  populous  province  in  all 
Korea,  and  here,  since  1896,  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  the  United  States  of  America  has  had 
an  established  station  that  has  done  good  work 
and  some  widespread  seed-sowing  throughout  the 
province. 

The  fourth  city  of  the  country  is,  with  perhaps  the 
exception  of  Seoul,  the  most  widely  known.  It  is 
Pyeng  Yang,  pronounced  P'yang,  where  in  Septem- 
ber, 1894,  the  Japanese  won  their  signal  victories 
over  the  Chinese ;  but  which  has  become  more  widely 
renowned  because  of  the  continuous  victories  that 
have  been  won  by  the  Cross,  in  later  years. 

Here  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  have  both  established  stations,  and 
here  a  work  that  astonishes  the  world  in  its  extent 


42  The  Call  of  Korea 

and  breadth  is  being  carried  on.  There  are  about 
50,000  people  in  the  city. 

In  addition  to  these  chief  cities  there  are  perhaps 
eight  others  that  might  be  called  fairly  large,  and  all 
of  them  will  not  account  for  more  than  half  a  million 
of  Korea's  twelve  to  eighteen  millions.  The  balance 
are  scattered  in  small  towns  and  villages. 

The  whole  country  is  divided  into  thirteen  prov- 
inces with  provincial  capitals,  and  these  provinces  are 
again  divided  into  prefectures,  or  counties,  with  local 
magistrates  governing  from  the  county  seats.  There 
are  in  all  three  hundred  and  forty-two  county  seats. 

In  all  these  places  a  hearty  welcome  seems  to  await 
all  who  come  and  behave  like  gentlemen.  I  have 
never  met  with  any  serious  difficulty  in  Korea,  except 
at  the  hands  of  bandits,  but  have  always  found  the 
hospitable  Koreans  ready  to  do  what  they  can  to  help 
on  a  traveller  or  to  entertain  a  guest. 

In  former  times  all,  and  at  present  most,  of  the 
travelling  must  be  either  by  palanquin,  or  pony,  or  on 
foot.  The  coast  and  waterways  can  be  used  in  part, 
along  many  of  which  small  steamers  now  ply.  The 
old  Hermit  has  come  out  of  his  seclusion.  Not  only 
is  there  a  railroad  from  Chemulpo  to  the  capital,  but 
an  electric  street-car  line  traverses  the  latter.  Elec- 
tric lights  are  provided  for  all  who  desire  them,  and  a 
railroad  from  Fusan  to  Seoul  and  another  from  Seoul 
to  Euiju  on  the  north  have  been  completed  and  run- 
ning for  a  year  or  two. 

Telegraph  and  telephone  lines  now  connect  the 


The  Country  43 

main  cities  of  the  country  with  the  capital  and  with 
each  other. 

All  of  these  tend  to  eliminate  time  and  distance 
and  to  aid  in  the  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  and  to 
speed  the  feet  of  the  messengers  of  Peace  and  Glad 
Tidings. 

We  have  thus  attempted  to  give  a  comprehensive 
general  view  of  what  was  so  recently  the  Hermit 
I^ation.  Geographically  she  comes  midway  between 
China  and  Japan  and  has  been  the  centre  of  the  great 
strife  for  mastery  in  the  East.  For  centuries  she  has 
been  intimately  related  to  China  in  literature,  reli- 
gion, and  politics,  as  we  shall  more  plainly  see  in  the 
following  chapters.  The  relation  between  the  two 
countries  seems  to  have  been  that  of  older  and 
younger  brother,  and  is  thus  defined  by  Chinese  and 
Korean  scholars.  She  has  retained  much  of  ancient 
China,  seen  in  dress,  in  literature,  and  in  her  pronun- 
ciation of  the  Chinese  character.  The  winning  of 
this  nation,  then,  will  have  undoubtedly  a  mighty  in- 
fluence under  God  in  the  evangeli2ation  of  China. 
In  the  conclusion  of  one  of  his  chapters  in  the  "Up- 
lift of  China,"  after  fittingly  praising  that  great 
race,  Dr.  Smith  says,  "To  capture  this  race  for  Christ 
means  the  early  conquest  of  the  whole  world,"  and  to 
this,  with  equal  force,  would  I  add  that  the  Christian- 
ity of  the  nation  of  Korea,  a  possibility  in  the  near 
future,  as  is  proven  by  the  history  of  mission  work 
thus  far,  would  mean  the  speedy  capture  of  China  for 
Christ. 


II 

THE  PEOPLE:  THEIE  SECULAR  LIFE 

IN^  judging  of  the  Koreans  as  a  people  one  should 
be  careful  to  do  so  only  after  a  thorough  ac- 
quaintance.     First   appearances   are   often  de- 
ceiving, especially  when  only  gained  from  the  freight- 
pjyg^  handling  coolies  or  stevedores  that  come 

appearances  aboard  the  steamers  at  the  ports.  Yet  I 
have  known  of  more  than  one  man  considered  to  be, 
or  posing  as,  a  judge  of  peoples  and  nations,  who,  after 
a  prolonged  stay  in  Japan  and  China,  visiting  their 
courts,  factories,  schools,  etc.,  etc.,  to  study  the  peo- 
ple, and  after  giving  but  the  few  hours  while  the  ves- 
sel stayed  in  Korean  ports  in  which  to  judge  of  the 
Koreans,  has  not  hesitated  to  make  lengthy  and  appar- 
ently learned  discourses  on  the  three  nations,  to  the 
disparagement,  naturally  under  the  circumstances,  of 
the  Korean. 

In  size  the  Korean  is  larger  than  either  the  Japa- 
nese or  Southern  Chinese  but  smaller  than  the  inhab- 
itants of  IN'orthem  China.     No  reliable 
'  statistics   have   as   yet   been   tabulated, 

though  Dr.  Baelz  visited  Korea  in  1899  and  made 
ethnological  measurements.     The  average  height  of 

44 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  45 

the  Korean  men  is  about  five  feet  six  inches,  while 
here  and  there  a  few  may  be  found  who  reach  six  feet. 
In  appearance  they  generally  resemble  the  Mongo- 
lian, with  high  cheekbones,  almond  eyes,  flattened 
nose,  and  absence  of  beard,  but  not  infrequently  one 
meets  with  a  very  different  type  in  which  the  cheek 
bones  are  not  prominent,  the  eyes  resemble  those  of 
Westerners,  and  the  long  nose  is  marked,  with,  in 
some  cases,  very  full,  long  beards. 

It  seems  very  evident  that,  while  Korea  was  orig- 
inally populated  largely  from  the  mainland,  there 
has  been  an  admixture  at  some  time  that  has  not  only 
modified  to  a  large  extent  the  physical  characteristics, 
but  has  exercised  so  strong  an  influence  upon  the 
whole  people  that  it  foisted  upon  Korea  its  method  of 
speech.* 

Considering,  then,  these  three  peoples,  so  closely 
allied  in  history  as  well  as  geography,  we  find  marked 
differences.  Korea  is  geographically  be-  oiunese 
tween  China  and  Japan,  and  intellect-  Ko?e^8''i^^ 
ually  and  physically  the  people  come  P*^®^ 
halfway  between  these  two  great  nations.  They  are 
not  as  phlegmatic  as  the  Chinese  nor  as  volatile  as  the 
Japanese.  Without  the  stolid  conservatism,  often 
amounting  to  impregnable  obstinacy,  of  the  one  or 
the  easy  adaptability,  amounting  to  fickleness,  of  the 
other,  calmly  weighing  pros  and  cons,  they  are  willing 
to  accept  change  if  it  is  really  good  and  receive  what 
is  new  without  too  rashly  discarding  long-established 
*  See  Hulbert'a  "Passing  of  Korea,"  p.  27. 


46  The  Call  of  Korea 

beliefs  and  customs.  They  are  not  as  slavishly  bound 
by  superstition,  not  as  devoted  to  their  old  religions, 
not  as  faithful,  perhaps,  to  the  traditions  of  the  past, 
as  the  Chinese,  nor  so  imitative  and  ambitious  as  the 
Japanese. 

Dr.  Jones  in  a  leaflet  says:  ''In  character  the 
Korean  people  are  naturally  friendly.  To  those  who 
inspire  them  with  respect  and  confidence  they  are  the 
soul  of  generous  hospitality.  The  Koreans  are  intel- 
lectually inclined,  the  national  ideal  is  the  scholar. 
Whereas  in  China  the  cast  of  mind  is  conmiercial, 
giving  us  a  nation  of  merchants,  and  in  Japan  it  is 
military,  giving  us  a  nation  of  warriors,  in  Korea  it 
is  literary,  giving  us  a  nation  of  scholars." 

There  has  been  manifested,  according  to  Korean 
history,  an  initiative  among  her  people  which  seems 
almost  absent  in  both  her  neighbors.  In  the  past,  at 
least,  when  the  need  presented  itself,  formerly  un- 
dreamed-of expedients  were  at  once  forthcoming. 
Whatever  may  be  said  of  Japan  to-day,  and  it  may  be 
noted  in  passing  that  while  these  ready  people  with 
their  quick  adaptability  imitate  Western  methods  and 
manufactures  they  are  not  noted  for  new  inventions, 
much  of  her  art  was  learned  from  China,  Korea, 
and  probably  Holland,  however  much  they  may  have 
improved  upon  their  masters. 

The  following  incidents  illustrate  this  initiative. 
The  invader  is  roaming  the  land  and  must  be  driven 
out  The  Imjin  River  must  be  crossed,  but  it  is  full 
of  broken  ic5e.    Boats  cannot  be  had.    With  a  quick- 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life         47 

ness  of  thought  that  would  do  credit  to  a  Yankee,  one 
of  the  officials  has  the  woods  scoured  for  the  wonder- 
fully strong  Korean  wild  westaria.  Its  long  strands 
are  joined  and  stretched  from  shore  to  pirstsus- 
shore,  fastened  to  great  stakes  and  trees  V^^^°^  bridge 
on  the  banks,  but  they  are  dragging  in  the  water. 
Quickly  scores  of  men  with  inserted  sticks  are  twist- 
ing the  slack  cables,  which  soon  become  taut,  cross- 
pieces  are  laid  athwart  them,  sod  and  earth  are 
added,  and  in  June  of  the  year  1591  the  King  of 
Korea  crossed  the  first  suspension  bridge  ever  built 
in  the  world. 

In  this  same  war,  when  the  warships  of  Japan  were 
attacking  her  shores  when  the  King  had  fled  to  Euiju, 
a  Korean  admiral  built  and  fitted  up  a  vessel  to  attack 
the  enemy,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  before 
the  Monitor  and  Merrimac  were  dreamed  of,  there 
occurred  a  naval  battle  on  the  Yellow  Sea  that,  had 
the  details  been  widely  known,  might  have  changed 
the  destinies  of  the  world,  for  Korea's  one  little  iron- 
clad entirely  destroyed  the  whole  of  pjj^ 
Japan's  fleet,  and  her  work  done,  re-  ironclad 
turned  to  port  to  await  the  time  when  her  services 
would  again  be  needed.  It  is  also  a  matter  of  Korean 
history  that  breech-loading  cannon  were  made  and 
used  there  long  before  they  were  thought  of  else- 
where. They  were  of  a  peculiar  type,  the  powder 
inserted  at  the  breech  and  the  ball  at  the  muzzle.* 

•  For  a  good  account  of  some  of  these  first  inventions,  see  Prof. 
H.  B.  Hulbert'3(F.R.G.S.)  article  in  Harper's  Monthly,  July,  1899. 


48  The  Call  of  Korea 

Hulbert,  in  his  "History  of  Korea,"  refers  also  to  a 
mortar  and  homb  invented  and  used  in  Korea  during 
this  war,  which  threw  a  twelve-inch  shell  with  deadly 
effect* 

Of  Korea's  alphabet  we  will  speak  in  another 
place,  but  do  not  these  all  show  an  independence 
of  thought  and,  as  we  said  above,  an  initiativ^e 
that  differentiate  Korea  from  China  and  Japan 
and  prove  that  if  she  had  not  remained  so  long 
a  "Hermit  I^ation"  the  chances  are  that  she  would 
have  outstripped  both  of  her  neighbors  in  modern 
progress  ? 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  the  Koreans  bear  a 
reputation  for  laziness  which  the  writer  believes 
they  do  not  wholly  deserve.  The  retainers,  "clients" 
and  dependents  of  the  court  and  the  courtiers  in  the 
capital,  the  loafers  in  the  ports,  and  the  sons  of  the 
rich  gentry  are,  we  believe,  largely  responsible  for 
this  bad  name.  Certainly  we  have  not  seen  this  illus- 
trated by  the  hardy  self-supporting  farmers  in  the 
country,  nor  by  the  busy  merchants  in  the  city,  and 
whether  it  be  the  vitalizing  power  of  Christianity  or 
not,  it  is  certain  that  Christians  show  an  energy 
and  vigor  quite  the  opposite  of  what  their  ^detractors 
would  lead  us  to  believe.  This  will  be  illustrated 
later  in  the  chapter  on  Christian  Work. 

For  their  size  they  are  strong  and  can  accomplish 
no  little  work  if  they  care  to.     They  have  a  "jikay" 

•  References  in  Hulbert's  "History"— "Vol.  II,  p.  8,  and  Vol.  I, 
pp.  376  and  417. 


The  People :  Their  Secular  Life  49 

or  carrying  frame,  on  which  they  are  able  to  carry 
enormous  loads  for  long  distances  and  Strength  of 
for  many  days  at  a  time.  They  will  nat-  men 
urally  try  to  get  as  small  a  load  as  possible,  and  will 
claim  what  you  propose  to  carry  is  too  heavy.  Es- 
pecially if  it  is  metal,  will  there  be  loud  complaints. 
I  have  known  of  man  after  man  refusing  to  take  a 
small  stove  because  it  was  of  iron  and  without  a  word 
of  complaint  walk  off  with  a  trunk  full  of  books,  or  a 
refrigerator,  etc.,  that  was  almost  twice  as  heavy  but 
was  made  of  wood. 

The  chair  coolies,  or  palanquin-bearers,  are  almost 
a  class  by  themselves,  and^  by  practice  become  very 
proficient  and  carry  the  chair  so  that  there  is  but  little 
motion.  With  a  double  set,  so  as  to  relieve  from  time 
to  time,  they  can  carry  a  loaded  chair  forty  English 
miles  for  days  together. 

The  chair  coolies  and  load-carriers  are  the  "cab- 
bies" of  Korea  and  have  the  same  characteristics  as 
this  class  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  At  the  same 
time,  their  rates  from  a  Western  standpoint  are  so 
small  that  frequently  foreigners  find  themselves  hag- 
gling over  fractions  of  a  cent. 

The  Koreans,  considering  them  as  a  people,  have 
good  minds.  The  literary  classes  have  been  continu- 
ously drilled  in  the  Chinese  classics,  intellectual 
which  is  a  mental  gymnastic  of  no  mean  ability 
force  and  produces  mental  qualification  of  high 
power,  so  that  Koreans  learn  our  language  quite  rap- 
idly and  are  able  to  hold  their  own  in  school  and  col- 


50  The  Call  of  Korea 

lege  among  our  native-born  Americans.  While  we  do 
not  hold  that  all  are  up  to  the  same  high  standard, 
there  have  been  some  notable  examples. 

A  political  refugee,  a  young  man,  a  member  of  one 
of  the  noblest  families  and  of  the  highest  rank  him- 
self, finds  a  haven  in  San  Francisco.  A  Christian 
gentleman  offers  him  an  education.  "You  do  this," 
said  the  Korean,  "in  the  expectation  that  I  will  go 
back  to  do  Christian  work?"  When  he  is  answered 
in  the  affirmative,  he  replies,  "Then  I  cannot  sell  my- 
self." Although  up  to  the  time  of  leaving  his  native 
shore  he  has  always  had  his  valet  and  servants  and 
has  never  done  anything  for  himself,  he  is  now  forced 
to  seek  some  means  of  livelihood.  He  tramps  the 
streets  of  the  city  on  the  Pacific  coast  in  his  almost 
hopeless  search.  He  cannot  talk  the  language,  his 
white  hands  show  he  has  never  worked,  no  door  seems 
open.  At  last  he  reaches  a  furniture  store  with  the 
welcome  sign,  "Boy  Wanted,"  in  the  window.  In 
broken  English  he  applies  for  the  position  and  is  told 
that  his  lack  of  knowledge  of  the  language  unfits 
him  for  the  place.  In  despair  he  breaks  out  in  his 
pidgin  English  with,  "W^hat  for  you  wantchee 
boy?"  "To  sweep  the  floor  and  dust  the  furniture 
and  office,"  is  the  reply,  to  which  he  answers,  "Me 
no  savey  English,  can  makee  sweep,  can  makee 
dust." 

Moved  by  his  earnestness  of  purpose,  he  is  given 
a  trial,  and  this  scion  of  nobility,  this  Korean  of 
princely  birth,  this  ex-Vice-Minister  of  State,  starts 


The  People  :  Their  Secular  Life  5 1 

to  earn  a  living  by  sweeping  and  dusting  a  San  Fran- 
cisco furniture  shop  while  he  is  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  English  language.  His  course  is  steadily 
up  through  school  and  college,  and  finally,  on  a  com- 
petitive civil  service  examination,  he  enters  the 
United  States  service  in  less  than  a  decade. 

Another  works  his  way  through  school  and  college, 
in  his  Junior  year  takes  the  prize  for  rhetoric  and 
oratory,  and  graduates  with  honor  as  a  commence- 
ment speaker. 

At  the  recent  World's  Student  Convention  held  in 
Tokyo,  Japan,  it  is  admitted  that  the  best  and  most 
brilliant  address  was  made  by  the  Hon.  Yun  Chi  Ho, 
a  Korean. 

It  may  be  said  that  these  men  are  exceptions,^  and 
undoubtedly  there  are  many  dull  and  slow,  but  a 
large  number  of  those  we  meet  in  the  schools,  the  hos- 
pitals, and  as  domestics  and  workmen  are  bright, 
quick,  resourceful;  and  the  number  of  these  ready- 
witted,  we  are  inclined  to  think,  bears  about  the  same 
proportion  to  the  slow  and  stupid  as  they  do  among 
Europeans.  These  instances  at  least  illustrate  Ko- 
rea's potentialities.* 

Their  sense  of  humor  is  keen  and  appreciative 
even  among  the  lowest  classes.  The  city  man's  desire 
to  dupe  the  country  loon  and  the  general  inclination, 
if  one  starts  to  draw  the  long  bow,  to  go  him  one  bet- 
ter, are  found  all  over  the  country. 

As  has  been  seen,  the  Koreans  are  a  primitive  peo- 
*  See  "Passing  of  Korea,"  p.  29 :  "Characteristics." 


52  The  Call  of  Korea 

pie  and  their  furniture  is  also  primitive  and  meagre. 

A  primitive      "^^^  seclusion  of  women  in  Korea  is  more 

1  people  strict  than  in  China  and  in  fact  is  almost 

\  as  strict  as  that  of  India.     This  rule  for  seclusion  and 

the  non-intercourse  of  the  sexes  except  among  the 

Seclusion        members  of  a  family,  has  very  materially 
of  women  affected   the   style   of   architecture   for 

the  whole  country.  One  general  plan  underlies 
the  thought  in  building  all  homes  throughout  Korea, 
which  is  that  there  must  be  inner,  or  women's  quar- 
ters, into  which  men  of  other  families  are  not  ad- 
mitted. There  is  also  generally,  except  in  the  poor- 
est families,  a  small  room  where  gentlemen  friends 
can  be  seen  and  entertained,  but  if  this  does  not  exist, 
the  visitors  are  either  entertained  outside,  or  the  use 
of  a  neighbor's  "sarang"  or  guest  room  will  be  ob- 
tained, or  in  some  rare  cases  the  women  of  the  family 
will  be  sent  elsewhere,  but  such  a  thing  as  bringing 
outsiders  into  the  presence  of  the  women  is  almost 
unknown.  Of  course,  with  Oriental  ideas,  the  man 
is  not  only  the  head  of  the  family  but  the  most  im- 
portant factor,  and  the  woman  is  of  consideration  only 
as  she  may  in  any  way  conduce  to  the  manifestation 
of  this  importance,  and  her  comfort  and  advancement 
chiefly  conserved  because  they  will  enable  her  the  bet- 
ter to  attain  this  end. 

As  a  consequence,  the  guest  room  or  "sarang"  used 
by  the  men  and  their  friends  is  generally  the  best  ap- 
pointed room  in  the  house,  and  the  women's  apart- 
ments are  furnished  and  kept  clean  only  so  far  as  the 


The  People :  Their  Secular  Life  53 

possession  of  such  apartments  will  add  to  the  comfort 
and  dignity  of  the  head  of  the  house. 

Christianity  is,  however,  working  a  change  here. 
Men  are  beginning  to  realize   that  the  Ohaoiges 

wrought  by 

women  should  not  be  the  drudges  of  the        Christianity 
house,  that    their    comfort     should    be    considered. 

The  writer  some  fifteen  years  ago  visited  the  house 
of  the  richest  man  in  a  certain  village.  His  "sarang" 
was  nicely  fitted  up  with  clean  papered  walls,  a 
highly  polished  oil  paper  floor,  a  beautiful  old- 
fashioned  brass  lamp,  and  especially  a  small  square 
of  glass  about  six  by  eight  inches,  set  in  the 
translucent  paper  of  one  of  the  windows,  added 
much  to  the  appearance  of  the  room  and  proclaimed 
at  once  the  wealth  and  progressive  ideas  of  Mr. 
Kim. 

He  had  become  interested  in  Christianity,  pro- 
claimed himself  a  believer,  and  I  was  a  guest  at  his 
house.  Of  course  I  could  not  be  admitted  to  the  in- 
ner circle  of  his  home,  nor  meet  his  wife,  but  his  aged 
mother  was  ill  and  perhaps  she  had  enough  curiosity 
to  desire  to  see  the  foreigner.  I  was  therefore  asked 
to  cross  over  to  the  "anpang"  and  see  the  old  lady. 
The  inner  court  was  large  and  well  filled  with  bags  of 
grain  and  other  provisions,  but  the  "anpang"  almost 
beggars  description.  N'o  oiled  and  clean  floor,  noth- 
ing but  the  bare  mud  top  of  the  "kang."  l!^oth- 
ing  but  dirty  and  smoky  paper  that  had  lost  most 
of  its  translucency  on  the  windows  and  uncovered 
mud  walls.     Of  course  there  were  some  straw  mats 


54  The  Call  of  Korea 

upon  the  floor,  but  they  were  of  the  cheapest  and 
much  worn. 

Several  years  passed  by,  Mr.  Kim  lost  nearly  all  of 
his  money,  sold  his  house  and  built  a  smaller  one,  and 
was  living  in  it  some  twelve  years  later  when  I  visited 
the  village  to  which  he  had  moved.  His  whole  fam- 
ily had  now  become  Christians.  His  aged  mother 
was  dead,  having  died  in  the  blessed  hope  of  the  res- 
urrection, and  I  was  again  the  guest  at  his  new  house. 
Assistance  was  quickly  given  in  removing  my  shoes, 
water  and  refreshments  were  offered,  a  bath  (ordi- 
narily a  rare  luxury)  was  ready,  and  then  Mr.  Kim 
said,  "Come  in  and  see  the  family."  They  were  all 
Christians  now  and  it  was  perfectly  proper  that  a 
''brother"  should  see  his  "sister."  In  the  meantime 
I  had  been  taking  stock  of  the  "sarang."  I  had 
heard  that  Mr.  Kim  had  come  down  in  the  world,  but 
this  is  more  than  I  had  expected.  No  oil  paper  on 
these  floors,  only  mats  over  the  mud;  no  paper  on 
these  "walls ;  true,  clean,  translucent  paper  graces  the 
window,  but  not  the  smallest  piece  of  glass  to  denote 
the  wealth  of  the  occupant,  and  in  the  little  niche  at 
one  side  is  the  wooden  stand  that  holds  a  porcelain 
saucer  half  filled  with  oil,  from  which  protrudes  the 
paper  wick  of  their  crude  lamp.  As  we  pass  into  the 
inner  court  the  first  thing  that  greets  me  is  the  large 
window  of  the  women's  apartments,  fully  four  feet  by 
three,  but  glass  from  top  to  bottom.  I  cannot  but  ex- 
claim and  am  astounded  when  Mr.  Kim  replies,  "Oh, 
yes,  the  women  have  a  great  deal  of  sewing  to  do  and 


The  People :  Their  Secular  Life  55 

we  must  see  that  they  have  light."  A  man  consider- 
ing the  needs  of  a  woman !  We  enter  the  room,  where 
we  have  a  most  hearty  welcome  from  Mrs.  Kim  and 
her  little  girls.  But  what  a  change !  A  nicely  pol- 
ished oil  floor,  clean  papered  walls,  a  large  clock  to 
keep  them  posted  as  to  time,  and,  strangest  of  all,  a 
'No.  2  Rochester  burner  lamp  graces  the  little  stand 
on  one  side.  As  we  seat  ourselves  on  the  floor  I 
cannot  but  remark  on  this  lamp,  when  Mr.  Kim  re- 
plies, "The  women  do  a  good  deal  of  sewing  at  night, 
you  know,  and  need  the  light." 

A  moderate  Korean  house  consists  of  mud  floor 
kitchen,  eight  by  twelve,  with  shelves  and  range  of 
kettles  fitted  in  holes  over  a  fire,  the  heat 
and  smoke  from  which  pass  by  flues  im- 
der  the  floor  of  the  living  room  which  it  thus  warms. 
This  method  of  heating,  in  a  country  where  fuel  is 
scarce,  is  certainly  to  be  commended  for  its  economy, 
since  at  a  minimum  of  cost  it  gives  a  maximum  of 
warmth  in  the  winter  months.  The  fact  that  you  are 
obliged  to  eat  cooked  food  during  the  summer,  how- 
ever, somewhat  detracts  from  its  comfort,  since  it 
gives  more  heat  than  can  well  be  endured  in  warm 
weather.  The  fuel  used  is  of  the  cheapest,  and  while 
sticks  and  logs,  if  available,  are  excellent,  in  their 
absence  brush,  hay,  straw,  dead  leaves,  scrapings  of 
grass  and  weeds  from  the  roadsides,  all  are  useful  and 
effective  in  these  fireplaces.  As  a  result  we  find  the 
Korean  laborer  more  warmly  housed  than  his  neigh- 
bors in  China  and  Japan.     The  living  room,  eight  by 


^6  The  Call  of  Korea 

twelve  or  eight  by  sixteen,  has  next  to  no  furniture,  a 
few  clothes-chests,  and  mangling  stone  and  frame,  and 
a  work  basket,  a  few  brass  utensils,  etc.  The  floor  is  of 
stone  and  mud,  either  covered  with  oiled  paper  which 
has  been  pasted  upon  it  or  else  coarse  straw  mats ;  an 
adjoining  wooden-floored  room  of  about  the  same  size 
opens  on  the  inner  court ;  then  a  small  closet  or  store- 
room, and  in  addition  to  this,  if  possible,  a  guest  room 
or  "sarang,"  where  men  friends  are  received  and 
entertained  by  the  male  members  of  the  family. 

The  larger  houses  are  quite  elaborate  and  many  of 
them  are  beautifully  fitted  up,  have  pretty  gardens, 
etc.,  are  clean,  well  kept,  and  have  a  degree  of  com- 
fort that  is  astonishing. 

As  to  dress,  while  at  first  glance  Koreans  may  all 

seem  to  dress  much  alike,  there  is  a  great  variety 

and  fashions  change  from  time  to  time. 

Drew  ,         ,         ,  .       ,.,  .  ,  ' 

though  nothing  like  as  irequently  nor  as 

markedly  as  in  European  countries.  The  changes 
are,  however,  in  the  men's  garments  rather  than 
in  the  women's.  Formerly  all  class  distinctions  were 
by  law  designated  by  the  dress,  and  it  was  for- 
bidden to  any  to  wear  other  than  that  of  the  class 
to  which  he  belonged.  The  material  of  which 
the  hat  was  made,  the  metal  loops  to  which  the  hat 
strings  were  fastened,  the  shape  and  kind  of  ornament 
that  adorned  the  crown,  as  well  as  countless  little  de- 
tails were  all  prescribed  by  law  and  even  now,  though 
these  distinctions  are  no  longer  enforced  by  law  and 
everyone  is  permitted  to  dress  as  he  pleases  regardless 


The   People :  Their  Secular  Life  57 

of  his  social  standing,  the  old  laws  will  have  at  least 
the  binding  force  of  custom  and  are  to  a  large  extent 
followed. 

The  ordinary  Korean  gentleman  wears  a  stiff 
gauze  hat,*  made  of  horsehair,  split  bamboo,  or  silk, 
the  material  varying  with  the  length  of  his  purse ;  his 
hair  is  tied  up  in  a  top-knot  and  the  head- 

.         .  .  ,  Gentleman 

band  of  horsehair,  tied  tightly  round  the 
head  about  one  third  down  on  the  forehead,  keeps  in 
all  straying  hairs.  The  various  efforts  made  from 
time  to  time  to  bring  about  a  change  in  the  national 
costume  and  distinctive  method  of  head-dress,  al- 
though the  laws  that  were  made  have  _   ,  . 

,  .  .  .  The  hail 

been  withdrawn,  have  had  their  effect  itu 

causing  a  great  many  of  the  younger  generation  to 
give  up  this  practice  of  wearing  a  top-knot  and  head- 
band. It  may  be  noted  in  passing  that  while  Chinese 
women  bind  the  feet  Korean  women  bind  the  head, 
and  although  this  has  not  brought  about  such  physical 
disfig-urement,  or  such  a  great  amount  of  suffering, 
yet  at  the  same  time  it  entails  no  little  pain,  discom- 
fort, and  distress,  and  there  have  not  been  wanting 
those  who  claimed  that  it  caused  a  mental  deteriora- 
tion in  the  classes  who  rigidly  observed  the  custom. 
Latterly,  therefore,  a  large  number  have  discarded 
the  top-knot  and  head-band,  though  in  many  cases 
retaining  the  hat,  which,  by  the  way,  as  a  matter  of 
etiquette,  is  worn  on  all  state  and  formal  occasions  in 
the  house.  Whereas  the  Westerner  removes  his  hat 
•  See  Lowell's  chapter  on  "Hats"  in  "Land  of  the  Morning  Calm." 


58  The  Call  of  Korea 

and  retains  his  shoes,  the  Korean  keeps  on  his  hat  but 

takes    off    his    shoes.       A    long    flowing    overcoat 

or    "touramaki,"    tied    under   the    armpits    with    a 

silk    cord    girdle,    covers    up    the    other    garments 

and    is    made    of    cotton,    linen,     or    silk.       The 

feet  are  encased  in  neat  socks  made  of  cotton  cloth 

with  a  short  gaiter  of  similar  material  that  gives  a 

pleasing  finish  and  covers  up  the  trouser  and  sock  ties. 

When  they  go  out  they  slip  their  feet   into  neat 

leather  shoes.     The  chair  coolie  differs  materially 

from  this,  since,  his  dress  being  made  for 

Chair  coolie  i      i  •     i         •        c  c  i  ^  ^  •       ^  ,• 

work,  ms  hat  is  01  lelt  and  his  shoes  01 

woven  straw.  In  place  of  socks  he  wraps  his  feet 
tightly  in  strips  of  cloth  and  entirely  dispenses  with 
the  flowing  "touramaki." 

The  farm  laborer's  apparel  is  not  nearly  so  elabo- 
rate and  consists  of  sun  hat,  coat,  and  pants,  and 

sometimes  the  first  two  are  also  dispensed 
Farm-hand 

with.     'No   "mangun"    or    head-band    is 

needed,  and  with  dishevelled  hair  and  mud-covered 

legs  they  present  a  rather  wild  appearance. 

In  the  main  all  of  these  go  dressed  in  white  or  light 
blue,  and  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  good  house- 
wife keeps  her  husband  spotless,  that  the  mud  of  the 
Korean  unpaved  roads  is  terrible,  and  that  most  of 
these  garments  must  be  picked  to  pieces  every  time 
that  they  are  laundered,  the  added  women's  work  can 
well  be  imagined. 

The  dress  of  the  mourners  differs  much  from 
others,  and  is  of  course  unbleached  linen  or  sackcloth, 


J 

1 

^^^^■HpSpl'r'""'       -l^^^H 

1 

PI 

^^^^'' ...^.^H^^R^H 

f" 

^ 

^^m 

m 

V  ^  ^H 

j 

^ 

The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  59 

tied  at  the  waist  with  a  thick  rough  rope  girdle  for 
the  loss  of  a  father,  or  one  made  of 
strips  of  cloth  for  a  mother.  The  head- 
band consists  of  the  same  coarse  linen,  and  a  small 
skullcap  is  worn  over  it,  under  the  enormous  mourn- 
er's hat  that  surmounts  all.  The  mourner  has  griev- 
ously sinned  against  the  heavens  that  his  parents 
should  be  taken  from  him,  and  hence,  not  daring  to 
look  up,  he  covers  thus  his  head  and  further  hides  his 
guilty  face  by  holding  close  before  it  a  sackcloth 
screen.  Besides,  there  are,  too  numerous  for  descrip- 
tion in  this  little  book,  the  varied  attire  of  the  high 
officials,  the  court  dress  and  insignia  of  office  and 

rank,  and  that  of  the  soldiers,  and  hats  of 

Court  dress 
retainers  of  every  class  and  grade,  com- 
posed often  of  bright  colors  and  peculiar  in  design. 
It  should  be  noted  as  a  matter  of  interest  that  the 
court  robes  of  to-day  are  exactly  like  those  repre- 
sented in  paintings  and  embroidery  as  the  very 
ancient  dress  of  the  Chinese. 

When  all  this  is  said  we  have  not  begun  to  enu- 
merate or  to  describe  the  Korean  dress,  for  not  only 
were  their  styles  varied  enough  originally,  but  the 
coming  of  Europeans  and  the  introduction  of  their 
ways  has  brought  about  official  changes  in  many  de- 
partments. The  soldiers  and  police  have  now 
adopted  European  uniforms.  But  worst  of  all,  the 
new  law  allowing  all  to  dress  as  they  see  fit  has 
brought  about  its  usual  medley  of  mongrel  costumes 
that  means  in  most  cases  such  disfigurement.     In- 


6o  The  Call  of  Korea 

finitely  preferable  is  the  Korean  dress  pure  and  sim- 
ple, and  we  regret  to  see  anything  so  unique  and 
picturesque  pass  out  of  use,  or  to  see  the  Korean 
adopt  anything  which  will  mask  his  individuality  and 
blend  him  with  the  ordinary  Asiatic,  but  it  must  be 
confessed  his  own  garments  are  a  clogging  hindrance 
to  energetic,  healthy  motion,  that  they  are  impracti- 
cal and  inconvenient  for  the  man  who  expects  to  take 
his  place  in  the  work-a-day  world,  and  that  soiling  so 
easily  and  made  as  they  are,  much  unnecessary  work 
is  entailed  on  the  over-burdened  women. 

The  dress  of  the  women  is  also  of  various  kinds  and 
differs  with  the  class  to  which  they  belong.     In  gen- 
Women:  eral  it  may  be  said  to  consist  of  a  short 

low  ClflrSSi 

high  class  jacket  or  waist,  that  comes  a  little  be- 

low the  armpits,  and  skirts  that  are  held  in  place  by 
broad  and  tightly  drawn  bands.  Among  many  of  the 
lower  classes  where  care  is  not  exercised,  the  upper 
and  lower  garments  separate  and  there  is  an  exposure 
of  the  breasts  that  is  disgusting  to  Europeans,  but 
when  Koreans  have  been,  spoken  to  in  regard  to  the 
matter  they  fail  to  see  much  difference  in  this  from 
the  very  low  "full"  dress  of  society  women  in  Amer- 
ica. The  genteel  classes,  however,  are  particular  in 
these  details,  and  although  they  only  meet  those  of 
their  own  sex  or  family,  seldom  permit  unnecessary 
exposure,  and  even  the  dress  of  the  dancing  girls  is 
perfectly  modest. 

Much  of  the  indecency  of  speech  and,  to  Western- 
ers, carelessness  of  habits  and  manners  may  be  ex- 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  6i 

plained  from  the  fact  that  the  sexes  have  not  inter- 
mingled and  the  refining  influences  have  not  heen 
exerted. 

The  highest-class  women  seldom,  if  ever,  go  out 
from  their  own  homes.  In  many  cases,  from  their 
earliest  infancy,  they  have  never  been  outside  the 
narrow  limits  of  their  father's  house  until  they  have 
been  carried  in  a  close  covered  chair  to  that  of  their 
husbands.  Here,  too,  they  stay  in  close  confinement 
until  their  bodies  are  borne  to  their  last  resting  place. 
A  large  number  of  them  cannot  read,  and  for  those 
who  can  the  books  in  the  vernacular  are  very  poor  and 
few,  so  that  the  barrenness  and  emptiness  of  such  a 
life  can  hardly  be  imagined. 

The  poorer  women  of  the  upper  classes  have  a  little 
more  freedom  and  visit  among  each  other,  but  when 
going  out  they  throw  a  skirt  over  their  heads,  holding 
the  waistband  in  such  a  manner  that  they  can  see 
their  way  and  yet  not  expose  their  faces.  The  gar- 
ments worn  as  skirts  are  like  very  wide  and  full 
aprons  which  will  wrap  all  round  the  form  and  lap 
over.  For  overseeing  household  duties  even  the 
highest  lady  puts  over  this  an  apron  which  is  always 
removed  when  company  is  present,  and  as  in  our  own 
land,  only  servants  go  out  wearing  aprons.  The  upper 
middle  class  also  wear  the  same  white  skirt  on  the 
street. 

There  is,  however,  another  class  of  women  who 
have  a  peculiar  green  coat  which  they  use  solely  to 
cover  the  head  and  mask  the   figure   when  going 


62  The  Call  of  Korea 

abroad.  Originally  this  was  of  green  silk  with  a 
wide,  white  collar,  and  moderately  long  and  wide 
sleeves,  the  lower  two  thirds  of  which  were  generally 
red.  These  garments  are  seen  only  in  the  capital 
and  vicinity,  and  at  first  marked  a  peculiar  class 
whose  husbands  belonged  to  the  guards  of  the  city. 
Tradition  says  that  the  green  cloak  was  the  uniform 
of  these  men,  and  that  the  sleeves  were  red  so  that 
the  bloody  swords  might  be  wiped  thereon  without 
disfiguring  them  and  that  wives  of  the  braves  might 
not  be  too  much  startled  by  the  sight  of  blood  upon 
their  garments. 

War  and  strife  seldom  arising,  the  wives  used 
these  coats  to  throw  over  their  heads,  and  after  the 
companies  had  been  disbanded,  this  class  of  women 
still  continued  to  use  this  covering.  Twenty  years 
ago  none  but  these  women  used  this  green  coat  but  lat- 
terly all  of  the  lower  classes  in  the  capital  who  can 
afford  to  are  adopting  it,  though  to  a  large  extent  they 
have  dispensed  with  the  red  sleeves. 

ISTaturally,  in  a  country  whose  methods  of  inter- 
course were  so  few  and  primitive,  different  styles  pre- 
vail in  different  sections  and  it  is  surprising  that  we 
do  not  find  them  differing  more  widely.  A  marked 
characteristic  head-dress  of  the  women  in  the  north, 
however,  demands  mention  at  this  place.  It  is  an 
enormous  hat  made  of  split  reeds,  measuring  often 
over  twelve  feet  in  circumference  and  three  feet 
high.  This  is  used  as  sunshade,  umbrella,  and  shield 
from  view  when  passing  men.     It  can  readily  be  seen 


The  People :  Their  Secular  Life  62 

that  in  a  fast-growing  Christian  community  this  adds 
considerably  to  the  problems  that  confront  church 
architects,  for  they  are  not  worn  indoors  and  must  be 
laid  aside,  and  a  large  space  is  needed  for  their  ac- 
commodation. Still  another  unique  coiffure  is  that 
of  the  female  royal  attendants  at  court,  who  wear  an 
enormous  mass  of  false  hair  in  bands,  braids,  and 
rolls,  often  extending  from  three  to  four  inches  be- 
yond the  head  on  either  side  and  towering  above  in 
absurd  and  exaggerated  proportions.  Descriptions 
of  this  are  given  in  most  books  on  Korea,  but  the 
women  who  wear  it  are  very  limited  in  number 
and  they  wear  it  only  on  special  and  particular 
occasions. 

The  ''gesang"  or  dancing  girls  are  unfortunates 
who  have  been  trained  to  be  the  toys  and  slaves  of  men 
of  wealth  and  who  are,  as  far  as  we  know,  invariably 
doomed  to  a  life  of  immorality.  The  women  of  the 
lowest  class,  the  female  slaves,  and  the  dancing  girls 
freely  go  through  the  streets  and  mingle  with  the 
men. 

In  regard  to  industries  and  arts  Korea  shows  great 
poverty,  and  while  history  leads  us  to  believe  that  at 
one  time  she  had  attained  quite  a  high  ^^  ^^ 

standard,  we  fail  to  find  any  sign  that  lndufltrie* 

this  standard  has  been  maintained.  In  bronze  work, 
painting,  and  literature  there  are  evidences  in  Japan 
to-day  of  the  high  standard  which  Korea  had  previous 
to  the  Hideyoshi  invasion. 

Her  ancient  pottery,  of  which  the  few  specimens 


64  The  Call  of  Korea 

obtainable  are  highly  valued,  shows  good  taste  in  form 
and  decoration,  and  it  is,  I  believe,  allowed  by  most 
Japanese  that  the  foundation  of  their  pottery  indus- 
tries and  art  came  from  Korea.  It  seems  strange, 
however,  that  the  Japanese  invasion  should  wipe  out 
almost  every  vestige  and  leave  this  country  to-day  so 
barren  in  this  respect.  Factories,  as  they  are  under- 
stood in  the  West,  are  unknown  in  Korea.  But  in 
the  case  of  industries  that  require,  or  are  fostered  by, 
united  effort,  the  artisans  gather  together  in  villages 
and  towns.  ISTowhere,  of  course,  do  we  find  large 
buildings  erected  and  great  companies  of  workers 
gathered  under  the  leadership  of  one  head  for  manu- 
facturing purposes.  These  villages  take  the  place  of 
factories.  They  are  manufacturing  centres  and  are 
often  attracted  either  by  the  natural  facilities  or  pro- 
ductions of  the  location.  Fans,  split-bamboo  blinds, 
and  all  the  many  products  of  the  bamboo  come  from 
the  south.  The  manufacture  of  the  peculiar  Korean 
bronze  alloy  much  used  in  the  making  of  dishes  and 
bowls,  for  which  the  country  has  been  celebrated  for 
centuries,  is  generally  found  to  be  carried  on  in  vil- 
lages and  communities  where  charcoal  can  be  easily 
obtained.  Cotton,  linen,  and  silk  weaving  is  carried, 
on  entirely  by  individual  householders  scattered  over 
the  country.  The  best  woven  horsehair  goods  come 
from  the  north;  and  Anjou,  the  old  secondary  capi- 
tal of  Pyeng  An  Do,  is  noted  throughout  the  thirteen 
provinces  for  its  silk  embroideries. 

Aside  from  her  native  ancient  pottery,  now  a  lost 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  65 

art,  Korea  was  well  known  for  the  superior  quality 
of  her  beautiful  and  permanent  red  dye,  which  was 
produced  from  a  peculiar  yellow  flowering  thistle,  and 
also  for  her  superior  paper,  which  excelled  in  tough- 
ness and  durability  and  was  made  from  mulberry 
wood  fibre,  ages  before  such  a  thing  was  dreamed  of 
in  the  West.  It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  im- 
portation of  cheap  aniline  dyes  has  almost  entirely 
stopped  the  culture  of  the  vegetable  from  which  the 
celebrated  dye  was  made  and  that  the  cheap  papers 
from  China  and  Japan  are  forcing  the  Korean  paper 
mills  out  of  business. 

In  all  her  arts  Korea  seems  to  follow  more  closely 
Chinese  ideals  and  methods  than  the  Japanese,  al- 
though it  is  possible  that  the  Japanese  art 
first  began  to  differ  from  that  of  China 
and  to  be  modified  by  the  talk  and  suggestions  of  the 
early  Dutch  traders,  who  probably  exercised  a  far 
'  greater  and  more  widespread  influence  in  these  mat- 
ters upon  the  eager  and  impressionable  Japanese  than 
they  have  had  credit  for. 

The  soil  of  Kang  Wha  seems  especially  fitted  for 
the  growth  of  a  reed  or  grass  needed  for  the  manu- 
facture of  the  well-known  Kang  Wha  mats  of  unique 
and  interesting  marquetry.  While  the  finest  speci- 
mens of  damaskeen  work,  painting,  etc.,  are  all  most 
ancient,  yet  work  that  shows  considerable  skill  is  still 
produced  to-day. 

In  painting  they  do  not  attempt  perfect  detail  so 
much  as  suggestion  and  impression,  and  the  general 


66  The  Call  of  Korea 

effect  of  some  of  the  mural  decorations  in  the  palaces 
is  excellent,  and  here  and  there  one  can 
run  across  real  works  of  art  from  the 
limner's  standpoint. 

In  embroidery  the  execution  is  very  fine,  with  a 
beautifully  smooth  effect,  the  outlining  is  perfect. 
Embroidery       ^^^  ^^^  general  design  beautiful ;  but  in 
®*°'  coloring,  so  little  attempt  is  made  to  fol- 

low nature,  one  is  inclined  to  believe  a  mere  conven- 
tional copy  was  intended.  Ofttimes  on  one  panel  two 
birds  of  the  same  species  will  be  presented  in  different 
hues,  the  hues  generally  harsh  and  bizarre,  like  the 
Chinese  and  early  Japanese.  In  damaskeen  work, 
rarely,  if  ever,  is  anything  now  done  in  gold;  but 
beautiful  little  pieces  of  silver  in  iron  and  nickel,  or 
nickel  in  iron  are  quite  common.  These  artisans, 
however,  are,  as  a  rule,  extremely  poor  and  only  do 
work  for  which  orders  have  been  given :  thus  their  in- 
vention is  much  restricted  and  seldom  are  they  allowed 
to  freely  follow  their  own  designs.  Inlaying  and 
marquetry  are  still  carried  on  with  much  success  and 
beautiful  cabinets  of  inlaid  mother-of-pearl  can  be 
found.  Workers  in  this  line,  however,  generally  con- 
sider that  the  amount  of  time  and  labor  put  upon  any 
one  piece  increases  its  value  proportionately,  and  so 
they  usually  enter  into  an  amount  of  detail  which 
spoils  the  artistic  effect,  a  fault  to  which  they  alone 
are  not  confined. 

Some  fine  specimens  of  engraving  filled  in  with 
enamel,  where  nickel  and  silver  are  used  as  a  base,  are 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  S'j 

also  found;  but  in  this,  even  more  than  in  the 
damaskeen  work,  the  poverty  of  the  artisans  has  made 
serious  limitations  and  hindered  development. 

One  of  the  most  serious  drawbacks,  however,  in  all 
work  of  this  kind,  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  artistic 
taste  has  not  been  developed  among  the  rich  and  well- 
to-do,  and  that  the  patrons  of  art,  such  as  were  com- 
mon in  the  West  in  the  Middle  Ages,  have  been  com- 
paratively unknown  in  Korea. 

Just  at  this  point  we  might  note  that  while  labor 
as  such  is  commonly  thought  degrading,  there  is  a 
certain  amount  of  dignity  said  to  surround  all  farm 
work.  In  order  to  uphold  this  idea,  in  the  palace 
grounds  the  King  had  his  small  rice  paddy  field  and 
farm,  and  the  Queen  her  looms,  which  they  were  said 
to  work  themselves,  and  it  is  a  noted  fact  that  no  one 
would  lose  caste  in  Korea  by  engaging  in  either  of 
these  pursuits,  and  it  is  the  common  custom  for  a 
younger  son  in  each  great  family  to  be  trained  as  a 
farmer.  "With  the  added  exception  of  fishing,  all 
the  manual  labor  is  considered  degrading  for  people 
of  the  highest  caste. 

Unions  and  guilds  for  the  protection  of  the  laborer 
and  artisan  seem  to  have  existed  here  for  many 
generations  and  are  extremely  strict  both  as  to  the 
number  of  apprentices  that  are  admitted,  the  kind  of 
work  to  be  done,  and  the  limiting  of  the  amount  of 
work  to  be  accomplished  in  a  stated  time  and  the 
charge  to  be  made  for  it.  These  guilds  constitute 
also  a  sort  of  mutual  aid  society  or  insurance  com- 


68  The  Call  of  Korea 

pany,  rendering  assistance  to  its  members  in  case  of 
sickness  and  often  paying  part  of  wedding  or  funeral 
expenses.  The  greater  of  these  guilds  have  attained 
great  prominence  in  commercial  circles  and  have  at 
times  loaned  large  sums  of  money  to  the  government. 
One  of  the  most  prominent  of  these  guilds  is  that 
known  as  the  Peddlers'  Guild,  which  has  a  deciding 
vote  in  the  control  of  all  markets  and  travelling 
merchants  (of  whom  there  are  very  many),  includes 
among  its  members  several  of  the  highest  officials,  and 
has  at  times  exercised  considerable  power  in  political 
circles.  These  peddlers,  because  of  the  peculiar 
privileges  granted  their  organization  by  the  govern- 
ment, are  bound  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness  to 
serve  the  government  in  any  capacity,  and  it  can 
easily  be  understood  how  such  a  power  has  been  much 
misused.  Most  of  the  business  of  the  country  is' 
carried  on  at  markets  or  changes  that  are  held  once 
every  five  days  at  stated  market  places  for  the  benefit 
of  the  farming  populace.  To  these  the  farmer  brings 
his  cattle  and  produce  and  here  also  come  the  travel- 
ling peddlers  who,  making  this  their  only  business, 
have  a  regular  circuit  which  they  complete  every  five 
days.  At  stated  times  in  the  spring  and  fall  in  the 
more  populous  centres  larger  markets  are  held,  and  in 
the  largest  cities  there  are  daily  markets  with,  in  the 
provincial  governorship,  an  especially  large  one  once 
every  five  days. 

These  markets,  being  places  of  general  gatherings 
pf  large  numbers  of  people,  have  been  much  used  as 


The  People :  Their  Secular  Life  69 

preaching  places  where  tracts  have  been  distributed 
in  great  numbers  and  many  Bibles  have  been  sold. 
The  markets  coming  once  every  five  days,  naturally 
in  each  district  one  market  day  in  every  seven  comes 
on  Sunday,  and  when  the  Christian  has  to  refrain 
from  making  his  purchases,  or  if  he  is  a  merchant, 
from  opening  his  shop  or  stall,  it  becomes  quite  a  test 
of  his  sincerity  and  often  a  very  great  obstacle  to 
those  who  are  not  really  sincere  in  joining  the 
Church. 

The  amount  of  per  capita  currency  in  circulation  in 
Korea  is  extremely  small.  When  the  country  was 
first  opened  most  of  the  commerce  was  carried  on  by 
exchange;  in  some  sections  money  was  almost  un- 
known. Latterly  there  has  been  something  of  a 
change,  but  even  yet  money  is  scarce  and  consequently 
dear  and  goods  therefore  compared  with  money  are 
cheap.  A  farm,  therefore,  would  yield  in  produce 
about  thirty  per  cent,  of  its  money  value,  and  while 
twenty  years  ago  a  very  common  rate  of  interest  was 
ten  per  cent,  a  month,  even  to-day  it  is  still  from  two 
to  four  per  cent,  per  month.  This  rate  of  interest  is 
due  to  the  scarcity  of  money  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
distrust  of  security  on  the  other.  As  the  per  capita 
currency  increases  and  commercial  trust  advances, 
this  rate  will  gradually  be  reduced. 

When  we  come  to  the  language  of  this  peculiar 
people,  but  little  can  be  said  in  the  short 
space  allotted  us.     Like  the  people,  the  angnage 

language  differs  from  that  of  either  China  or  Japan. 


70  The  Call  of  Korea 

In  grammatical  structure  it  resembles,  and  in  some 
ways  is  identical  with,  that  of  the  latter  country,  while 
in  vocabulary  it  is  nearer  to  that  of  China.  The  Chi- 
nese characters  or  ideographs,  or  more  properly,  pic- 
ture writings,  are  used  by  all  three  countries  as  a 
means  of  communication  and,  while  presenting  to 
each  of  the  three  peoples  identically  the  same 
thought,  will  be  read  with  totally  different  words  and 
may  be  expressed  in  different  ways.  By  way  of  illus- 
tration, the  Chinese  character  or  picture  of  man,  pre- 
ceded by  three  strokes,  will  give  to  a  Chinese,  a  Jap- 
anese, or  a  Korean  the  idea  of  three  men ;  but  the  Ko- 
rean says  "Say  saram,"  the  Japanese,  "Mitsu  hto," 
and  in  Chinese,  in  certain  sections,  "San  gin,"  vary- 
ing in  accord  with  the  local  dialect.  'No  one  of  these 
three  understands  the  other  when  speaking ;  but  to  all 
the  written  character  is  equally  intelligible.  The 
pure  Korean  vernacular  differs  radically  from  either 
the  Chinese  or  the  Japanese,  but  the  Chinese  litera- 
ture has  had  such  an  overwhelming  effect  upon  the 
Korean  mind,  that  the  Chinese  ideographs  have  been 
given  sounds  or  names  by  the  Koreans  which  have 
been  transferred  into  the  Korean  speech,  so  that  for 
nearly  everything  we  can  have  a  pure  Korean  or  a 
Sinico-Korean  name.  And,  much  as  in  times  past 
Latin  derivatives  were  considered  a  sign  of  good  style 
in  English,  a  Sinico-Korean  vocabulary  is  aimed  at 
by  the  native  literati. 

Korea,  however,  is  not  confined  to  the  Chinese 
character  for  her  written  expression.     She  has  an 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  71 

alphabet  of  her  own  consisting  of  twenty-five  letters, 
fourteen  consonants  and  eleven  vowels,  which  is  ex- 
tremely simple  and  easily  learned.  It  is  claimed  by 
scholars  to  be  the  second-best  alphabet  in  the  world 
and  seems  evidently  based  upon  the  Sanscrit. 

The  question  will  naturally  be  asked,  is  the  lan- 
guage easy  of  acquisition?  For  an  Occidental,  we 
must  reply  in  the  negative.  While,  as  has  been 
noted,  the  alphabet  can  be  mastered  almost  at  a  sit- 
ting, the  train  of  Korean  thought  and  method  of  ex- 
pression are  so  diametrically  opposed  to  that  of  the 
Westerner  that  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  put  oneself 
where  one  can  think  as  the  native  does  in  Korean; 
and,  without  this,  one  cannot  speak  Korean  fluently. 
On  this  point  it  is  impossible  to  compare  Korean,  Jap- 
anese, and  Chinese.  To  a  person  with  a  good  verbal 
memory  the  chances  are  that  Chinese  would  be  easier 
than  Korean  or  Japanese.  On  the  other  hand,  to  one 
trained  to  know  the  why  and  wherefore  of  every- 
thing, Korean  and  Japanese  would,  in  all  probability, 
seem  easier  than  Chinese. 

Quite  a  number  who  had  studied  Chinese  have 
come  later  to  Korea  and  with  hardly  an  exception 
they  have  proclaimed  Korean  more  difficult  than  Chi- 
nese. I  doubt  not,  however,  that  had  they  come  to 
Korea  first  and  then  gone  to  China,  the  latter  would 
have  seemed  to  them  the  more  difficult. 

For  literature,  if  we  search  for  books  in  their  own 
native  script,  we  shall  find  practically  none.  With 
the  exception  of  a  comparatively  few  cheap,  trashy, 


-ji  The  Call  of  Korea 

and  miserably  printed  novelettes  and  books  of  songs, 
there  has  been  almost  nothing.  The  Koreans  have, 
however,  for  centuries,  in  their  literary  efforts,  used 
the  Chinese  characters,  and  a  few  of  their  books  have 
been  reprinted  in  China  and  are  in  use  to-day. 

Despite  all  the  efforts  of  the  strongest  pro-Korean 
party,  Chinese  is  still  to-day  the  chief  study  in  all  the 
schools.  Of  girls'  schools  there  are  none,  and  it  is 
seldom  that  girls  are  called  upon  to  study  Chinese. 
But  the  sons  of  all  the  educated  families  are  thor- 
oughly drilled  in  this,  which,  as  has  been  said  above, 
is  the  equal  of  mathematics  as  a  form  of  mental  drill 
and  discipline.  As  an  illustration  of  what  it  can  ac- 
complish, two  boys  of  fourteen  and  sixteen  years,  at 
the  close  of  one  of  our  training  classes  of  three  weeks' 
duration,  were  able  to  recite  in  detail  the  heads  of  a 
system  of  theology  and  could  quote  the  proof  texts, 
giving  chapter  and  verse  for  each.  And  it  should  be 
added  that  the  Bible,  now  being  read  and  studied  all 
over  the  country,  for  the  sake  of  which  even  the  old 
eagerly  learn  to  read,  is  forming  the  taste  of  the  peo- 
ple and  making  the  basis  for  a  new  and  better  art  and 
literature,  just  as  it  has  always  done. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Koreans  are  an  unedu- 
cated people,  but  this  has  been  said  by  those  who  fail 
to  make  a  proper  distinction  between 
Education  education    and    instruction.     The    Ko- 

reans have  not  been  instructed  in  all  the  tech- 
nical details  of  Western  science.  While  they 
lack  in  knowledge,  all  over  the  land  in  every  vil- 


The  People :  Their  Secular  Life  73 

lage  of  any  size  there  have  been  established  schools 
that  give  a  mental  drill  in  the  Chinese  classics,  and 
while  we  must  acknowledge  that  if  it  stops  here  the 
system  is  at  fault,  at  the  same  time  it  has  placed  to 
our  hand  a  raw  material  of  fine  quality  ready  to  be 
developed. 

Of  home  life  the  people  have  little  or  none  as  we 
understand  the  home.  The  heads  of  the  family  were 
not  brought  together  in  the  first  place  be- 

.     .         „  Home  Ufa 

cause  of  mutual  congeniality,  fitness,  or 

affection,  and  while  in  many  cases  this  lack  shows  in 
a  corresponding  lack  in  the  home,  it  must  still  be  ac- 
knowledged that  the  mutual  forbearance  and  consid- 
eration shown  often  bring  forth  hearty  and  sincere 
love  and  that  the  children  of  such  unions  are  sincerely 
loved  by  their  parents. 

As  elsewhere  in  the  East,  so  in  Korea  it  is  custom- 
ary to  train  oneself  to  repress  the  manifestations  of 
feeling,  and  consequently  embracing  and  caresses  are 
seldom  seen,  and  yet  there  is  real  consideration  be- 
tween parents  and  children  and  brothers  and  sisters. 
As  a  consequence  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  childhood 
in  Korea  is  not  without  its  joys,  and  while  toys,  as  we 
know  them,  are  not  provided  in  much  profusion,  they 

have  their  kites  and  tops,  and  in  the  ab- 

'  .   ,  Childiood 

sence  01  toys  they  nave  their  games,  mto 

which  they  enter  with  considerable  spirit  and  skill; 

nevertheless,  after  the  young  boy  arrives  at  the  age 

of  six  or  seven  he  generally  begins  his  studies,  which 

continue  from  early  morn  till  evening,  last  the  whole 


74  The  Call  of  Korea 

year  round  without  rest  for  Saturdays  and  Sundays 
and  only  such  holidays  as  come  from  festivals  and  re- 
ligious feasts. 

When  the  children  arrive  at  a  marriageable  age, 
which  varies  from  twelve  to  twenty,  and  in  rare  cases 
even  later,  the  services  of  a  go-between 
or  marriage  broker  are  secured,  and  suit- 
able alliances  being  planned,  the  marriage  settlements 
are  arranged  and  on  a  set  day,  the  groom,  donning  for 
the  occasion  the  dress  of  a  palace  official,  goes  in  state 
to  fetch  his  bride  whom  he  has  never  seen.  Even 
then  when  he  meets  her  with  her  face  covered  with 
paint  and  powder,  which  present  her  with  chalk-white 
skin  and  two  great  round  patches  of  red  on  the 
cheeks,  closed  eyes,  fastened  shut  by  the  pigment, 
pencilled  eyebrows,  and  attired  in  her  wedding  robes, 
he  can  even  then  be  hardly  said  to  have  seen  her. 
After  they  have  made  a  proper  obeisance  to  the  par- 
ents of  the  bride,  the  go-between  then  leads  her  to 
the  palanquin  brought  by  the  groom  and  the  bridal 
procession  returns  to  the  home  of  the  groom.  Here  the 
wild  goose,  emblem  of  fidelity,  the  boxes  that  contain 
the  trousseau  of  the  bride,  carried  on  the  heads  of 
women  attendants,  many  of  whom  wear  a  coiffure 
like  that  of  the  women  of  the  court,  often  little  girls 
gaily  dressed  carrying  paper  flowers,  together  with 
male  attendants  for  the  groom,  who  rides  his  gaily 
caparisoned  steed,  all  go  to  make  up  this  bridal  train 
which  has  absolute  right  of  way  on  this  important 
day.     The  bride  and  groom  for  this  day  are,  as  it 


The  People:  Their  Secular  Life  75 

were,  king  and  queen,  their  robes  those  of  the  highest 
officials,  their  attendants  wearing  the  costume  of  at- 
tendants upon  royalty,  and  everybody,  even  a  royal 
procession,  must  make  way  for  a  bridal  party.  Ar- 
riving at  the  home  of  the  parents  of  the  groom  they 
make  their  obeisance  to  the  heads  of  the  house,  bow 
formally  to  each  other,  each  sips  the  same  cup  of  wine 
and,  proceeding  to  the  ancestral  tablet  house,  prostrate 
themselves  before  the  tablets  of  the  family  ancestors 
and  then  enjoy  the  marriage  feast.  The  young  bride 
now  becomes  a  member  of  a  new  household,  subject  to 
her  mother-in-law,  and  on  account  of  age  her  position 
is  inferior  to  that  of  the  older  women  of  the  family. 
She  is  for  the  time  expected  to  speak  only  when  ques- 
tioned, and  is  not  expected  to  make  any  remarks  or 
suggestions.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  hard  is  her  posi- 
tion when,  as  still  happens.  Christian  parents  allow 
a  daughter  to  enter  thus  a  heathen  household.  While 
this,  following  the  Bible  rule,  is  always  discouraged 
by  the  missionary  and  the  Church,  in  a  number  of 
cases  it  has  brought  about  the  salvation  of  heathen 
families.  The  quiet  Christian  life  of  an  unassuming 
little  girl,  although  generally  only  after  much  perse- 
cution and  suffering,  has  often  won  a  whole  household 
to  Christ. 

There  are  very  few  holidays  in  Korea.     A  few 
feasts  of  national  note  are  observed,  but  the  great  hol- 
iday comes  at  the  !N'ew  Year  season.     At 
this  time  all  Korea  puts  on  new  clothes 
and  it  is  a  beautiful  sight  on  New  Year's  morn  to  see 


76  The  Call  of  Korea 

everyone  dressed  in  new  clothes,  most  of  them  bright 
and  joyous.  No  work  is  done  on  the  first  three  days, 
all  stores  are  closed,  and  the  whole  land  enjoys  the 
holiday.  In  many  families  and  wherever  circum- 
stances will  allow,  this  extends  from  the  first  to  the 
fifteenth  of  this  moon  (month),  the  time  being 
spent  in  visiting  one's  friends  and  neighbors  and  gen- 
eral enjoyment. 

The  Christians  are  turning  this  general  idea  to  a 
very  practical  account,  and  in  many  localities  they 
have  adopted  the  practice  of  making  this  a  special 
time  for  evangelistic  effort,  and  they  will  often  visit 
from  house  to  house  and  give  up  the  whole  two  weeks 
to  this  work.  Thus  can  Korea's  heathen  customs  and 
habits  be  made  a  help  in  winning  her  to  Christ 


in 

THE  PEOPLE:  THEIR  RELIGIOUS  LIFE 

THE  Koreans  are  said  to  be  a  people  without  a 
religion.    Certainly  thej  do  not  seem  very  re- 
ligious.    They  have  very  few  temples  and 
shrines.     We  do  not  see  them  thronging  without  a 

these,  or  devoting  much  time,  thought,  or        religion 
money  to  public  or  private  worship,  or  to  the  coffers 
of  priests,  who  are  of  a  very  low  grade.     The  fact 
is,    their   old   forms   of   religion   appear   to  us    to 
retain_verxJ[itJtl&.  hold,  u^  compared  with 

the  superstitions  of  the  Africans  ami  the  devotees^ 
of  India,  Thibet,  Chinaj  or _  even  Japai^  and. 
various  influences  have_  combined  to  .render  their 
faith  in  tlieir  old  religions  cold  and  weak  and 
their  service  formal  and  less  than  half-hearted. 
They 'even~sa3''  they  have  largely  ^scardedT  the  three 
religions  which  they  had,  and  why  then  should  they 
accept  a  fourth,  that,  too,  from  a  foreign  land.  If 
they  desired  a  religion,  they  say,  it  would  be  better  to 
take  one  of  their  native  cults,  so  maintaining  their 
own  individuality.  Let  us  then  look  for  a  moment  at 
these  three. 

First,  let  us  consider  Confucianism.     This,  in  the 
77 


78  The  Call  of  Korea 

earliest  times,  came  over  from  Ghina  with  her  litera- 
ture and  civilization,  and  from  the  very 
Confaoiftnlsm 

start  it  has  had  no  little  to  do  in  mould- 
ing the  thought  and  life  of  the  people ;  but,  as  we  find 
it  to-day,  whatever  it  may  have  been  when  it  first 
came  from  China,  or  whatever  it  may  now  be  in  that 
land,  it  hardly  deserves  the  name  of  religion  as  we 
find  it  in  Korea.  It  is,  rather,  a  system  of  ethics 
based  on  filial  piety  which  all  ought,  and  at  least 
profess,  to  follow. 

It  has,  however,  become  so  much  of  the  literary  life 
and  culture  of  the  land,  and  is  so  dependent  upon  the 
study  of  the  Chinese  classics,  which  only  the  most 
scholarly  can  attain  to,  that  it  has  become  a  recognized 
fact  that  a  loyal  Conf ucianist  must  be  a  good  scholar. 
In  many  cases  the  opposite  also  is  thought  to  hold. 
As  a  consequence,  all  who  aspire  to  the  name  of  lit- 
erati proclaim  themselves  Confucianists.  Every- 
where there  are  those  who  make  a  profession  of  their 
strong  adherence  to  this  cult,  but  even  the  best  of 
them,  when  quietly  discussing  the  situation,  will  ac- 
knowledge that  Confucianism  is  not  to  them  a 
religion. 

It  has  commonly  been  said  that  there  are  no  tem- 
ples in  the  city  of  Seoul.    This  is  a  great  mistake,  for 
there  are  several  fairly  large  Confucian 

Tdinplos 

in  Seoul  temples,  a  few  Shaman  shrines,  and  the 

presence  within  the  courtyard  of  every  large  mansion 
of  an  ancestral  tablet  house,  where,  at  stated  times, 
sacrifices  are  offered  before  the  tablets  of  the  ances- 


The  People :  Their  Religious  Life         ^(^ 

tors  to  the  third,  fourth,  and  sometimes,  though  sel- 
dom, to  the  fifth  generation,  plainly  shows  the  falsity 
of  the  above  statement. 

Ancestral   worship,    an   integral   part   of    Confu- 
cianism, is  universal  throughout  Korea,  Ancestral 
and  anyone  not  following  its  rites  is,  in         worship 
the  eyes  of  his  fellows,  an  atheist,  unbeliever,  and  an 
outcast. 

It  is  generally  believed  that  at  death  the  three 
souls  that  a  man  has  separate,  one  going  to  Hades, 
one  to  the  grave,  and  one  into  the  ancestral  tablet. 
This  tablet  consists  of  two  narrow  strips  of  wood,  fast- 
ened face  to  face,  on  the  inner  surface  of  which  is 
written  the  name  of  the  spirit.  A  small  hole  is  left 
near  the  top,  connecting  the  inner  space  with  the 
outer  air,  to  give  ingress  and  egress  to  the  spirit. 
These  tablets  are  set  in  sockets  so  as  to  maintain  an 
upright  position.  During  the  regular  three  years  of 
mourning  a  dish  of  fruit  is  constantly  kept  before  the 
tablet  of  the  deceased  and  special  services  are  held  at 
stated  times,  and  during  these  three  years  a  special 
attire  is  worn  by  the  chief  male  mourners,  who  ren- 
der this  special  service  only  before  the  deceased 
father's  tablet. 

Afterwards  the  sacrifices  are  made  on  the  anniver- 
saries of  the  father's,  grandfather's,  and  great-grand- 
father's deaths  in  the  ancestral  tablet  house  or  temple. 
In  addition  to  this  there  are  eight  Korean  holidays 
on  which  sacrifices  must  be  made.  The  significance 
of  all  this  is  much  the  same  as  in  China,  and  the  Ko- 


8o  The  Call  of  Korea 

reans,  like  their  neighbors,  believe  that  the  happiness 
of  the  dead  and  living  is  largely  dependent  upon  this. 
Upon  all  these  occasions  the  eldest  son  is  chief 
mourner  and  chief  priest.  The  clan  organization  in 
Korea  is  very  strong,  and  the  eldest  son  of  the  eldest 
branch  is  the  chief  priest  of  the  clan,  and  the  cost  of 
all  these  sacrifices  is  the  first  charge  upon  the  estate. 
This  chief  priest,'therefore,  becomes  the  political,  so- 
cial, and  religious  head  of  the  clan,  and  in  his  care  are 
placed  the  tablets.  It  can  readily  be  seen  what  havoo 
in  the  clan  is  brought  about  by  the  conversion  to 
Christianity  of  such  a  head  or  chief  priest.  When, 
as  has  sometimes  been  the  case,  the  whole  family  of 
the  chief  of  a  clan  has  been  converted^  he  has  some- 
times had  enough  influence  to  win  the  consent  of  the 
other  members  of  the  clan,  and  thus  trouble  has  been 
avoided,  but  where  the  case  is  otherwise,  and 
where  the  resignation  of  the  high-priestly  fimctions 
would  leave  an  imperfect  line  of  descent,  innumer- 
able difficulties  have  arisen.  The  old  law  made  it 
death  to  destroy  one's  ancestral  tablets,  and  enough 
has  been  said  to  give  some  idea  of  the  obstacles  in  the 
path  of  those  who  desire  to  accept  Christ,  greater  in 
proportion  to  the  nobility  and  influence  of  the  family. 
The  educated  will  not  hesitate  to  plainly  announce 
that  they  have  no  belief  in  the  utility  of  this  worship, 
and  that  it  is  simply  and  solely  an  expression  of  filial 
loyalty.  It  has,  however,  all  the  form  and  semblance 
of  worship,  and  without  the  missionary  attempting 
to  legislate  in  regard  to  the  matter  as  a  religion,  those 


The  People:  Their  Religious  Life        8i 

who  profess  a  faith  in  Christ  have  realized  that  such 
sacrifices  were  not  compatible  with  the  worship  of  the 
one  true  God.  The  result  at  the  present  time  is,  that 
it  has  become  commonly  known  that  a  belief  in  Christ 
means  the  cessation  of  ancestral  worship,  and  as  a 
consequence  no  small  proportion  of  the  people  often 
refuse  to  give  any  thought  whatever  to  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel  or  even  listen  to  a  word  concerning  them. 

In  Korea  this  is  the  only  religious  element  still  left 
in  their  Confucianism.  The  only  way  in  which 
Christianity  will  be  enabled  to  win  its  way  among  the 
Confucianists  will  be  to  so  exemplify  filial  piety  dur- 
ing the  life  of  the  parents  that  it  will  put  to  shame 
that  much  vaunted  cult.  Koreans  themselves,  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  have  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  man  who  neglects  his  father  and  mother 
during  their  lifetime,  and  who,  while  he  is  living  in 
luxury,  allows  his  parents  to  suffer  the  hardships  of 
poverty,  if,  after  their  death,  he  but  offer  sacrifices 
in  a  suitable  manner,  will  be  called  a  good  Confucian- 
ist.  Nominally  to-day,  this  is  a  faith  that  holds  a 
stronger  place  in  Korea  than  all  the  other  religions ; 
and  yet  it  does  not  answer  the  desire  of  the  human 
heart,  for  it  is  a  man-made  faith  and  meets  none  of 
the  requirements  of  the  natural  religious  instinct. 

Buddhism  entered  Korea  early  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, and  like  a  seed  sown  in  good  time  soon  flourished 
throughout  the  three  kingdoms  of  the  land. 
It  is  a  fact  well  established  that  Korea 
gave  to  Japan  her  Buddhism,  for  it  is   acknowl- 


82  The  Call  of  Korea 

edged  that  the  oldest  idols  and  the  manuscripts  in  the 
oldest  Japanese  temples  were  brought  over  from  Ko- 
rea, and  while  the  regular  style  of  Japanese  architec- 
ture differs  very  materially  from  that  of  Korea,  that 
of  her  temples  is  identical  with  it.  Dr.  Griffis,  in 
his  book  on  Korea,  speaks  of  a  copy  of  the  Buddhist 
canon  in  a  revolving  library  at  Kamakura  which  is 
said  to  have  been  obtained  from  Korea.  Mr.  Aston, 
in  his  latest  book  on  Shintoism,  as  well  as  all  stu- 
dents of  Japanese  history,  acknowledges  that  Korea 
gave  Buddhism  to  Japan,  and  it  is  now  pretty  gener- 
ally conceded  that  it  was  first  introduced  into  Japan 
by  a  Korean  named  Wani,  about  A.  D.  550,  that  it 
did  not  meet  with  very  general  acceptance  at  that 
time,  and  that  it  was  re-introduced,  from  the  same 
country,  about  a  century  and  a  quarter  later,  when 
it  was  widely  received. 

Buddhism  in  Korea,  while  it  speedily  spread 
throughout  the  country,  as  has  been  said  above,  did 
not  attain  to  its  greatest  power  until  the  beginning  of 
the  Wang  dynasty,  which  preceded  the  present  one. 
After  his  succession  to  the  throne,  the  unification  of 
the  kingdom  and  the  establishment  of  Song  Do  as  the 
capital,  the  founder  of  this  dynasty  was  extremely 
active  in  the  building  of  temples  and  the  establish- 
ment of  monasteries;  and  Buddhism  at  once  became 
the  national  religion  of  the  whole  country  and  re- 
mained so  imtil  the  time  of  this  dynasty's  overthrow, 
when  there  was  a  more  general  return  to  Confucian- 
ism, and  the  fact  that  the  Buddhists  had  shown  them- 


The  People:  Their  Religious  Life         83 

selves  active  partisans  in  politics,  as  well  as  powerful 
opponents  even  in  a  military  way  to  the  new  regime, 
brought  them  into  much  disfavor.  This  was,  at  least, 
made  the  pretext  for  the  demolition  of  large  numbers 
of  temples  and  the  confiscation  of  large  tracts  of  land 
belonging  to  powerful  monasteries  which  were  dis- 
banded. This  disfavor  was  not  a  little  augmented 
by  the  fact  that  when,  three  centuries  ago,  the  Jap- 
anese invaded  the  country  with  Buddhistic  banners 
and  emblems,  not  a  few  prominent  Korean  Buddhists 
were  said  to  have  joined  them.  The  Japanese,  with 
shaven  heads  and  dressed  as  Korean  Buddhist  priests, 
entered  the  capital,  and  it  is  claimed,  after  being 
entertained  by  Buddhist  monks  in  the  city,  returned 
with  full  details  concerning  the  strength  and  fortifi- 
cations of  the  capital.  As  a  result  of  this,  more 
stringent  laws  were  enacted  and  the  one  or  two  Bud- 
dhist temples  in  the  city  were  destroyed,  so  that  up  to 
the  time  of  the  Japan-China  war,  not  only  was  there 
no  Buddhist  temple  in  the  city,  but  no  Buddhist 
priest  was  allowed  to  enter  its  gates. 

Despite  the  fact  that  the  late  Queen  was  a  very 
staunch  Buddhist  and  a  patron  of  many  temples  and 
monasteries,  this  law  was  not  repealed  until  after  the 
Japan-China  war  when  the  pro-Japanese  party  came 
into  power.  Even  though  it  was  then  repealed,  the 
law  was  again  enacted  and  no  shaven-headed  monk 
dared  enter  the  city  until  the  second  return  of  their 
champions,  the  Japanese. 

Buddhism  has  been,  then,  until  recently,  a  faith  to 


84  The  Call  of  Korea 

some  extent  tabooed.  The  Buddhist  priest  is  still 
next  to  the  lowest  in  the  social  scale.  The  butcher, 
the  man  who  makes  his  living  by  slaughtering,  is 
placed  lowest,  and  strange  indeed  it  is  that  he  who, 
on  account  of  his  religious  belief,  would  not  dare  to 
kill  even  a  mosquito,  ranks  next.  Despite  this,  how- 
ever, the  Buddhists  still  had  large  and  flourishing 
monasteries  all  over  the  country,  some  of  them  heavily 
endowed,  even  during  the  old  regime.  The  patron- 
age of  the  late  Queen,  which  was  continued  in  part  by 
the  Emperor,  tended  naturally  to  increase  the  power 
of  Buddhism,  but  even  when  most  opposed  by  the 
powers  that  be,  it  has  always  seemed  to  hold  its  own 
among  the  people,  although  its  followers  were  mainly 
women.  The  educated  people,  the  gentlemen  and 
the  nobility,  profess  no  faith  in  Buddhism,  practi- 
ally  saying  that  it  is  for  women  and  children ;  but, 
let  misfortune  or  sickness  enter  the  family,  and,  in 
heir  effort  in  some  way  or  other  to  secure  relief,  the 
assistance  of  the  Buddhist  priest  will  be  often 
invoked. 

The  oldest  of  all  Korea's  faiths  is  a  species  of 
Shamanism.  Before  Confucianism  and  Buddhism 
ever  entered  Korea  it  held  sway  and, 
from  all  that  we  can  learn  from  history, 
and  from  what  we  see  to-day,  it  is  very  evident  that 
even  when  Buddhism  and  Confucianism  were  at  their 
prime,  under  all,  and  through  all.  Shamanism  still 
held  its  own.  Even  to-day  the  Buddhist  priest  still 
holds  to  his  Shaman  faith ;  and  a  strong  Confucianist, 


The  People :  Their  Religious  Life         85 

although  he  will  tell  you  that  it  is  all  foolishness,  in 
practice   holds  tenaciously  to  his  Shamanism.     It  is 
the  strongest  power  from  a  religious  pointoFvie\v^4a, 
Korea  to-3ay. 

The  Korean  Shamanism  peoples  the  world  with 
spirits,  demons,  and_^ods,  good  and  evil ;  in  the  main 
evil.  The  c(5immon  belief  looks  upon  these  spirits  as 
generally  conspiring  against  the  welfare  of  man. 
They  must  be  appeased  and  their  good  will  won,  if 
happiness  and  good  fortune  are  desired.  Every  hill, 
every  path,  every  mountain,  every  stream,  every  house 
site,  house,  kitchen,  and  almost  every  room  has  its 
deity  or  demon ;  and  surrounded  by  this  host  of  ene- 
mies, it  is  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  Korean  has  as 
good  a  time  as  he  has.  Conflagrations  and  fires  are 
the  work  of  the  fire-god ;  the  building  so  selected  must 
be  offered  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  deity.  If  a  fire  occurs 
in  a  village,  those  who  ought  to  attend  to 
it  will  simply  attempt  to  protect  the  sur- 
rounding buildings,  while  one-half  of  the  company, 
with  trumpets  and  bugles,  steadily  strive  to  persuade 
the  deity  that  the  one  house  that  has  been  selected  is 
a  joyous  and  free-will  offering,  thereby  hoping  to  pro- 
tect the  other  buildings  of  the  town. 

In  1896,  the  writer  and  another  missionary  were 
startled  one  evening  by  a  cry  of  fire  in  a  city  in  the  in- 
terior. Proceeding  at  once  to  the  scene,  in  the  hope 
of  rendering  assistance,  we  found  the  family  of  the 
owner  howling  and  shedding  tears  as  they  saw  the 
progress  of  the  flames.     A  company  of  the  native 


86  The  Call  of  Korea 

constabulary,  with  assistants,  were,  as  usual,  blowing 
the  long  trumpets  and  horns,  making  to  our  ears  any- 
thing but  a  joyful  sound.  The  fire  had  attained  but 
little  headway,  and  it  was  evident  that  with  the  well 
so  handy  it  could  easily  be  controlled.  Surprised  by 
the  lack  of  energy  shown  by  the  Koreans,  with  but  the 
one  thought  of  rendering  assistance,  the  two  foreign- 
ers at  once  seizing  buckets,  with  water  from  the  well, 
soon  quenched  the  flames.  !N^o  thanks,  even  from  the 
family  whose  house  was  saved,  was  tendered.  Omi- 
nous mutterings  were  heard  on  all  sides.  Threats  of 
lynching  were  not  wanting.  Those  two  foreigners, 
with  their  lack  of  knowledge  of  Korea,  her  customs 
and  her  gods,  had,  without  doubt,  infuriated  the  god 
of  fire.  He  would  certainly  be  around  that  night 
and  wreak  his  vengeance  on  the  city,  perchance  many 
houses  would  be  burnt.  A  wholesome  fear  of  the  for- 
eigner protected  us.  'No  house  in  the  city  was  that 
night  burnt,  but  I  doubt  not,  that  had  we  not  left  the 
next  day,  some  evil  would  have  befallen  us,  for  five 
miles  up  the  stream  in  the  direction  of  the  home  of 
the  fire-god,  another  house,  without  any  known  cause, 
took  fire,  and  wa§  burnt  to  the  ground.  When  they 
came  down  to  the  city,  however,  to  punish  the  foreign- 
ers, they  had  gone. 

In  the  burning  of  the  palace  in  1905, the  gates  were 
tightly  locked  against  the  Japanese  and  British  fire 
companies,  and  the  only  effort  made  by  the  Korean 
Imperial  authorities  to  stay  the  flames  was  to  send 
men  and  boys  to  the  roof  of  a  building  outside  the 


The  People :  Their  Religious  Life         87 

palace  grounds,  to  which  His  Majesty  had  fled,  who 
continuously  kept  up  a  waving  of  cloths  towards  the 
flames. 

Smallpox  visits  a  house,  and  if  you  desire  that  its 
attack  should  be  mild,  you  will  inform  friends  that 
an  "honorable  guest"  has  called  at  your  g^^^  ^^ 

home.  You  will  call  in  blind  men  and  treatment 
sorceresses,  who  are  the  priests  and  priestesses  of  this 
cult.  They  will,  with  dance  and  tambourine,  keep 
up  their  rites  until  one  or  more  of  them  goes  into  a 
trance  or  ecstasy,  when  through  them  the  smallpox 
god  will  speak  and  proclaim  what  must  be  done ;  and 
only  as  you  follow  these  instructions  can  you  hope  to 
be  let  off  easily.  The  use  of  medicine,  in  any  form 
whatever,  is  strictly  forbidden,  for  it  would  at  once 
insure  that  the  "honorable  guest"  would  become  en- 
raged and  demand  the  life  of  the  patient. 

Spirit  or  demon  trees  are  found  everywhere,  and  in 
a  marked  way  is  the  Ginko  or  Maidenhair  fern  tree 
an  object  of  worship  among  the  Koreans. 
This  is  a  prehistoric  tree,  belonging  to  ^^ 

the  Carboniferous  Age,  found  in  China,  Japan,  and 
Korea.  On  the  roadsides,  and  especially  the  moun- 
tain passes,  will  spirit  trees  be  found,  and  travellers 
and  passers-by  pick  up  stones  to  leave  at  their  base, 
thinking  with  them  to  leave  their  misfortunes  also. 
A  child  may  be  sick  and  near  to  death's  door,  and  the 
poor  mother,  knowing  of  no  other  way,  will  tear  a 
shred  from  its  garments  and,  with  a  few  of  her  hard- 
earned  cash,  purchase  a  little  fruit,  some  rice,  and 


88  ^    The  Call  of  Korea 

Korean  wine,  and  carrying  them  on  her  head  to  one 
of  these  trees,  will  tie  the  rag  upon  a  branch,  write 
her  petition  upon  a  piece  of  clean  paper,  and  hang  it 
near  the  cloth,  and  then,  placing  her  offering  upon  a 
heap  of  stones  below,  she  will  prostrate  herself,  ask- 
ing that  the  evil  that  afflicts  her  child  may  remain  in 
the  little  piece  of  garment  she  has  brought  and  that 
its  life  may  be  spared. 

Along  the  roadsides  grinning  wooden   idols   are 
placed  as  guardians  of  the  way,  and  upon  them  are 
Guardians        written,  or  carved,  petitions  that  they 
ofroada  ^[n  prevent  the  passing  of  all  demons, 

and  thus  protect  the  village  for  whose  good  they  have 
been  erected.  It  is  commonly  believed  that  these 
sticks  have  supernatural  powers.  In  1886,  when  the 
writer  visited  a  seaport  town,  as  he  landed  from  the 
boat  and  was  about  to  enter  the  city,  he  was  stopped, 
and  by  gestures  earnestly  requested  not  to  proceed. 
Finding  that  they  could  converse  with  him  in  their 
own  tongue,  the  people  told  him  that  it  was  as  much 
as  his  life  was  worth  to  proceed  on  his  way :  that  these 
were  guardians  of  the  road  who  would  take  his  life 
if  he  attempted  to  pass  them,  as  they  were  there  es- 
pecially to  keep  out  foreigners.  When  the  writer 
told  the  kind  friends  that  he  would  risk  it,  they  stood 
back  aghast,  evidently  really  believing  that  he  would 
be  stricken  dead,  if  he  attempted  to  pass.  To  their 
astonishment  the  passage  was  made  without  mishap, 
and  it  is  not  known  that  anyone  has  since  met  with 
a  similar  warning. 


The  People:  Their  Religious  Life        89 

Not  only  do  their  faiths  tend  along  the  line  of  cura- 
tives, but  also,  naturally,  along  that  of  preventives. 
On  the  opening  of  the  year,  on  the  fifteenth  of  the 
first  month,  those  whose  horoscopes  proclaim  that  the 
coming  year  will  be  a  diflBcult  one  for  them,  purchase 
small  straw  dolls,  and,  putting  coins  into  the  hands, 
arms,  feet,  and  other  parts  of  the  body,  throw  them 
away  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  hoping  that  thereby 
they  are  also  throwing  away  the  ills  that  might  befall 
them  during  the  year  whose  future  looks  so  dangerous. 
In  many  parts  of  the  country,  also,  when  evil  or  death 
is  anticipated,  it  is  very  commonly  believed  that  the 
sprinkling  of  blood  above  and  upon  the  two  sides  of 
the  main  door  of  the  house  will  very  effectually  pre- 
vent the  entrance  of  any  evil  spirits.  Whence  this 
arose,  and  whether  it  may  not  be  that  the  news  of  the 
deliverance  of  the  Children  of  Israel  in  the  land  of 
Egypt  spread  thus  far,  or  whether,  as  some  assert,  the 
Koreans  are  the  lost  Ten  Tribes,  we  will  not  attempt 
to  settle. 

The  belief  in  demoniacal  possession  is  common,  and 
when  such  possessions  occur,  exorcists  are  called  in 
and  in  some  cases,  though  very  few,  it  is         t.       ■     , 

'  o  J  1  Demomacal 

claimed  that  they  are  successful.  The  possesaion 
news  has  gone  widely  abroad  that  the  Jesus  of  the 
Christians  drives  out  demons,  and  many  are  the  cases 
reported  from  time  to  time,  when  in  answer  to  believ- 
ing prayer,  men  and  women  so  said  to  be  possessed, 
and  who,  to  say  the  least,  were  not  of  sound  mind, 
have  been  restored. 


90  The  Call  of  Korea 

In  a  village  in  the  extreme  north  there  is  a  little 
company  of  Christians.  A  few  miles  off,  a  young 
girl,  newly  married,  is  said  to  be  possessed  of  a  devil, 
and  is  sent  back  to  her  mother's  home.  !N^ative  ex- 
orcists are  called,  but  fail ;  neighbors,  coming  in,  say 
that  "The  Jesus  they  worship  over  the  hills  drives  out 
devils."  The  mother  eagerly  seizes  the  opportunity, 
and,  with  her  daughter,  presenting  herself  at  the 
chapel,  asks  whether  it  is  true.  The  Christians  say 
"Yes,"  and  at  once  commence  to  pray  for  the  girl. 
They  meet  two  or  three  times  a  day  to  pray,  with  no 
results.  The  neighbors  begin  to  jeer,  "Your  Jesus 
God  can't  do  what  you  claim."  The  Christians, 
making  a  study  of  the  Word,  believe  that  "such  goeth 
not  out,  but  by  prayer  and  fasting,"  and  with  this  de- 
termined faith  again  begin  their  prayers,  having  de- 
cided that  they  will,  without  ceasing,  continue  until 
their  end  is  attained.  It  is  a  little  before  the  mid- 
night following,  when  the  possessed  girl  quickly  arises 
and  passes  out  of  the  chapel  door.  She  proceeds  to 
the  shrine,  where  the  village  devils  are  worshipped, 
and  seating  herself,  addresses  the  Christians  sneer- 
ingly  with  the  words,  "You  dare  not  enter  and  pray 
for  me  here."  They  at  once  get  down  on  their  knees 
to  renew  their  prayers,  and  shortly  she  falls  prostrate 
in  their  midst,  to  rise  healed. 

This  Shamanism  is  the  most  obstinate  enemy  that 
the  missionaries  have  to  meet  in  Korea.  If  it  is 
asked,  "What  religions  are  chiefly  attacked  by  the 
missionaries  ?"  in  reply  I  would  state  that  I  think  no 


The  People:  Their  Religious  Life        91 

attack  upon  any  religion  is  usually  made.  The  mis- 
sionary who  goes  to  a  foreign  field  has  not  the  time  to 
spend  in  attacking  its  old  faiths.  His  work  is  simply 
to  hold  up  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  and  in  His  pres- 
ence no  other  faith  can  live.  This  is  what  is  being 
done  in  Korea  to-day,  and  slowly,  but  surely,  the 
Koreans  are  being  won  to  the  Cross. 

We  found  that  God,  by  His  spirit,  had  been  at  work 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  this  land  before 
we  reached  here,  however;  that  all  over  it  men  and 
women  were  being  led  to  lose  faith  in  their  old  re- 
ligions. The  common  remark  of  the  educated  gen- 
tlemen, that  such  things  are  good  enough  for  women 
and  children,  will  show  plainly  the  trend  of  thought. 

The  great  bulk  of  the  Confucianists  acknowledge 
that  ancestral  worship  is  useless  except  as  an  expres- 
sion of  filial  piety.  The  Buddhistic  priests  whom 
we  would  expect  to  be  the  most  ardent  adherents  are, 
in  the  main,  as  many  of  them  will  acknowledge,  sim- 
ply such  to  gain  a  livelihood,  and  the  rank  and  file  of 
the  common  people  are  beginning  to  ask  themselves 
whether  it  is  not  common  sense  to  believe  that  the 
proper  use  and  applications  of  proper  remedies  in  a 
case  of  sickness,  will  do  more  good  than  the  burning 
of  paper  prayers  to  paper  gods,  or  the  tying  of  rags 
and  strings  upon  the  limbs  of  inanimate  trees,  the 
throwing  away  of  straw  dolls,  or  the  pitching  of  stones 
upon  the  cairns  that  surround  a  spirit  tree  or  rock. 

Several  years  ago  it  was  the  writer's  privilege  to 
be  overtaken  by  night  on  Saturday  evening  in  the 


92  The  Call  of  Korea 

neighborhood  of  the  oldest  monastery  in  Korea.  Pre- 
senting ourselves  at  the  door,  the  most  hearty  wel- 
come was  accorded,  and  the  chief  room  was  set  aside. 
After  the  evening  meal  we  were  escorted  around  and 
through  the  various  buildings,  until  we  came  to  the 
library,  where  piles  of  books  were  stacked  around  the 
walls.  On  asking,  we  were  informed  that  these  were 
their  "Seung  Kyeng"  or  sacred  writings.  The  next 
morning  when  the  other  members  of  the  party  had 
passed  out  into  the  garden,  the  writer  was  sitting 
alone,  reading  in  the  room,  when  the  abbot  entered. 
Seeing  me  engaged  in  reading,  he  inquired  what  the 
name  of  the  book  was,  and  using  the  word  that  he  had 
used  the  night  before,  I  replied  that  I  was  reading 
from  our  Seung  Kyeng,  or  sacred  writings.  "Would 
it  be  too  much  to  ask  that  His  Excellency  would  read 
a  few  words  to  us  ?"  said  the  abbot.  On  my  assent- 
ing at  once  to  do  this,  a  boy  was  called,  told  to  ring 
the  tocsin,  and  all  the  monks  were  gathered  while  I 
read  to  them  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and 
seventeenth  chapters  of  John's  Gospel,  and  finally 
the  first  part  of  the  twentieth  chapter  of  Exodus. 
Most  careful  attention  was  given  by  all  present,  and 
when  I  stopped  reading  the  Commandments,  the  abbot 
said  that  they  were  similar  to  the  tenets  of  Buddhism, 
but  his  assistant  replied,  "How  could  Buddhism  pos- 
sibly be  said  to  agree  with  the  second  command- 
ment ?"  pointing  at  once  to  the  image  of  Buddha  in 
the  room.  After  a  little  talk  he  asked  that  Chris- 
tian books  be  sent  down  there,  and  announced  that 


The  People :  Their  Religious  Life        93 

thej  were  Buddhists,  not  because  they  believed  in 
Buddhism,  but  simply  as  a  means  to  a  livelihood,  and 
to  this  they  all  agreed. 

Besides  what  may  be  said  of  priestcraft  and  reli- 
gions, there  are  two  classes  of  people  who  must  not  be 
overlooked.     They  are  the  Pansus  and  Divination 

Mutangs.  As  in  most  semi-civilized  and  ^^  ^^^^ 
barbarous  countries,  it  is  generally  believed  that  those 
who  have  been  deprived  of  eyesight  have  been  given 
a  special  power  of  seeing  hidden  things,  and  thus  the 
blind  in  Korea  are  the  diviners,  the  fortune-tellers, 
the  clairvoyants,  who  cast  horoscopes  and  find  lost 
articles. 

They  are  a  class  by  themselves,  and  as  generally 
they  are  believed  in  and  receive  large  rewards  for 
their  divinations,  blindness  is  not  thought  so  great  a 
hardship  as  in  other  countries.  The  name  applied  to 
them,  Pansu,  means  decider  of  destiny,  and  they  are 
consulted  in  regard  to  the  cause  of  misfortune  and 
sickness,  in  all  matters  of  doubtful  utility  as  to  the 
future,  and  especially  do  they  find  it  very  profitable 
in  selecting  lucky  sites  for  the  graves  of  the  wealthy 
and  titled.  As  with  the  Delphic  oracle  of  old,  so 
with  these  Korean  Pansus,  great  skill  is  shown  in  the 
use  of  set  formulas  and  phrases  capable  of  a  double 
meaning. 

While  in  the  minds  of  a  great  many  the  work  of 
the  Pansu  and  Mutang  very  largely  over-  g^^^  ^^^ 

laps,  and  while  practically  at  times  the  and  Mutang 
one  may  be  called  to  do  the  work  of  the  other,  theo- 


94  The  Call  of  Korea 

reticallj,  they  hold  two  distinct  fields,  and  the  Mu- 
tang  deals  with  sorcery  and  the  exorcising  of  evil  spir- 
its. At  times  it  is  very  apparent  that  the  disease, 
trouble  in  the  home,  or  impending  evil,  is  the  result 
of  the  anger  of  some  deity  who  must  be  appeased,  and 
then  the  party  so  troubled  sends  direct  to  the  Mutang, 
asking  what  spirit  it  is  who  is  causing  the  trouble  and 
requesting  her  aid  in  its  exorcism.  A  very  careful 
account  of  the  work  of  these  Pansus  and  Mutangs  is 
given  in  Hulbert's  "Passing  of  Korea,"  pages  412  to 
428. 

The  question  may  naturally  arise  as  to  what  has 
been  the  effect  upon  the  morals  of  the  nation  of  these 
three  religionar'slShamanism^ei^g  a  sort  of  nature 
worship,  aside  T¥om  any  moral  consciousness  of  right 
and  wrong  and  the  necessity  of  doing  right,  can 
hardly^be  jaid  to  have  inculcated  any  moral  touching. 
"Buddhism.,a^  found  here,  while  it  enforces  a  self- 
abnegation,  a  control  of  the  natural  passions  and  de- 
sires, does  so  from  a  selfish  rather  than  from  an  altru- 
istic motive.  Its  teachings  have,  in  part,  tended  to 
foster  compassion  for  animals  and  a  care  for  life  in 
general,  but  do  not  seem  to  have  affected  largely  the 
national  conduct  in  the  relation  of  man  to  man.  Coiu- 
'  f ucianismPhowever,  with  its  widely  studied  litera- 
■"  tlire,'lbias  brought  with  it  its  carefully  elaborated  sys- 
tem of  morals  and  statement  of  relationships,  and  has 
consequently  had  considerable  effect  upon  the  life  of 
the  nation.  Its  admirable  system  of  ethics,  teaching 
the  five  virtues  and  laying  stress  upon  the  five  social 


The  People :  Their  Religious  Life        95 

relationships,  has  heen  studied  throughout  the  coun- 
try, but  the  great  difficulty  has  been  that  all  these 
systems  have  simply  developed  into  a  formal  state-' 
ment  of  what  ought  to  be  done.  An  illustration 
given  by  a  Korean  preacher  expressed  well  what 
Confucius  has  really  done  for  Koreans.  After  hold- 
ing the  attention  of  his  audience  by  his  description  of 
Confucius  as  an  aged  sage  standing  and  pointing  out 
the  right  way,  and  urging  all  to  follow  it,  he  pictured 
men  falling  into  sin  on  every  side  in  spite  of  all  this, 
and  on  the  other  hand,  he  drew  the  contrast  of  Christ 
stepping  down  among  those  who  had  fallen,  lifting 
them  out  of  their  degradation  and  giving  them  a  new 
heart,  which  would  make  them  desire  what  was  good, 
and  setting  them  on  the  right  road. 

It  must  be^acknowledged  that  all  three  of  the  Ko-  f. 
rea^  faiths,  or.. b^^tter,  superstitions  or  philosophies, 
have  accomplished  very  little  in  giving  any  real  moral 
tone  to  the  nation.  To  such  an  extent  has  the  filial 
piety  of  Confucius  been  dwelt  upon  that  children  are 
taught  that  they  must  not  lie  to  their  parents.  The  -• 
inference  is  easily  drawiu —  -^'     ^ 

"While,  then,  this  system,  by  the  constant  reitera- 
tion of  its  ethical  code,  has  certainly  had  its  effect,  it 
has  simply  been  to  the  degree  that  might  be  expected 
where  no  inducement  was  offered,  no  real  help  given. 
The  general  moral  tone  of  the  people  is  certainly 
higher  than  that  of  savage  tribes ;  the  sanctity  of  fam- 
ily life  is  upheld ;  the  laws  of  the  land  are  on  the  side 
of  morality,  but  we  find  a  condition  that  might  nat- 


g6  The  Call  of  Korea 

urally  be  expected  where  God  and  Christ  are  un- 
known. 

The  existence  of  concubinage,  fostered  and  encour- 
aged by  Confucianism,  which  lays  such  stress  on  the 
necessity  of  a  male  heir  and  which  works  such  havoc 
in  family  life,  the  employment  of  large  numbers  of 
dancing  girls,  who  as  a  class  are  supported  by  the 
government,  the  torture  used  at  trials,  introduced 
primarily  by  the  Confucian  idea  that  no  man  may  be 
condemned  till  he  has  admitted  his  guilt,  the  flagrant 
abuse  of  justice,  the  condition  of  women  and  the 
necessity  of  guarding  them  so  closely,  all  illustrate 
the  moral  state  of  the  people.  And  yet  in  view  of  all 
the  abuse  and  scorn  that  have  been  heaped  upon  the 
Koreans  by  those  who  were  interested  in  making  them 
appear  worthless  and  degraded,  we  would  say  that, 
having  had  good  opportunities  to  see  them  in  contrast 
with  other  Asiatics,  we  find  them  morally  not  inferior 
to  any  of  their  neighbors,  but  in  fact  in  some  points 
far  superior  to  some  of  them. 

The  burial  and  funeral  rites  naturally  differ  much 
in  different  localities  and  with  the  means  at  the 

disposal  of  the  family,  but  as  upon  the 
Poneral  rites  ■■  j.  \  • .  .11    j 

proper  observance  01  these  rites  will  de- 
pend the  future  prosperity  of  the  whole  clan,  some- 
times all  the  family  possessions  are  sacrificed  at  this 
time  and  the  heaviest  debts  incurred. 

Of  course,  for  the  richest  the  services  are  most 
elaborate  and  a  whole  book  might  easily  be  written  on 
these  rites  alone.     There  are,  however,  one  or  two 


The  People:  Their  Religious  Life        97 

salient  and  important  features  that  are  always  ob- 
served and  that  allow  of  the  most  elaborate  enlarge- 
ment, and  it  is  in  this  enlargement  that  the  wealth  of 
the  family  will  be  manifested. 

After  the  death  has  been  surely  ascertained  the 
announcing  of  this  fact  takes  place  in  the  ceremony 
sometimes  designated  as  "the  calling  of  the  soul." 
It  consists  in  a  trusted  servant  or  a  friendly  neighbor 
taking  a  coat  of  the  deceased,  ascending  the  roof  and 
standing  over  the  place  where  the  corpse  lies,  an- 
nouncing towards  the  north  that  the  soul  of  the  de- 
parted has  left  the  body,  and  waving  the  garment  that 
he  holds.  He  waves  the  garment  three  times,  mak- 
ing three  announcements:  first,  the  full  name  of  the 
deceased;  second,  his  highest  rank;  and  third,  the 
fact  that  he  is  dead.  This  ceremony  does  not  take 
place  till  at  least  an  hour  after  the  death,  and  at  its 
close  the  family  all  enter  and  wait  for  a  short  time. 

After  this  a  table  is  spread  outside  and  food  is  dis- 
played thereon  for  the  spirits  that  have  come  for  the 
dead,  three  bowls  of  rice  for  the  three  great  spirits, 
and  a  large  bowl  for  their  attendants,  who  are  sup- 
posed to  number  twelve  in  the  case  of  the  death  of  a 
man,  and  nine  if  the  deceased  be  a  woman. 

After  these  duties  have  been  attended  to  in  due 
form,  the  body  is  prepared  for  burial  by  careful 
washing,  and  tight  binders  with  layers  of  grass  cloth, 
which  layers  vary  for  men  and  women  in  the  propor- 
tion mentioned  above,  nine  for  the  women  and  twelve 
for  men. 


98  The  Call  of  Korea 

If  the  family  exchequer  will  permit,  a  pine  coflin 
is  now  produced,  the  wood  for  which  has  long  been 
in  the  house,  or  if  not  able  to  afford  this,  a  cofl&n  is 
purchased.  The  date  of  the  funeral  varies  with  the 
wealth  and  importance  of  the  family,  from  three  days 
after  decease  to  three  months  and  sometimes  a  year, 
in  which  case  plenty  of  opportunity  is  allowed  for 
the  most  elaborate  preparations. 

The  grave  site  is  chosen  with  great  care.  The 
Pansu  is  called  in,  and  he  is  requested  to  use  his 
knowledge  of  geomancy,  as  the  whole  future  of  the 
family  depends  upon  this  being  a  lucky  site. 

It  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  how  the  superstitions 
and  doctrines  of  these  three  religions  militate  against 
Christianity.     How  ancestor  worship^  with  its^  strong 
hold  in  two  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  feelings  of 
huniian  nature,' love  of  parents^  and  the  desire  of  be-_^ 
ing  remembered  after  death ;  Buddhism,  with  its  doc- 
trine of  universal  iiindness  and  its  widespread  ideas 
of  re-incarnation ;  and  Shamanism,  with' all  its  hol3  on 
the  superstitions  of  a  mystical,  poetic,' smdnature-Xov-  ^ 
Ing^eo^efwoindoppose'strong  barriers  to  the  prog- 
ress of  t'ire"'"Cospel  .1^  and  yet,  on  the  other  handZiS&Z 
people  at  the  time  when  missionaries  made  their  ad;;^ 
vent  Had  grown  cold  in  their  allegiance  to,  and  to  a 
large  extenf"li5st  "faith  in,'tliese  old  religions.     They 
seem  to  be  peculiarly  a  people  whose  reasoning  pow- 
ers have  led  them  to  see  the  emptiness  and  falsity  of 
their  man-made  faiths,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  their 
religious  instinct  leads  them  to  accept  the  truth  as  it 


The  People :  Their  Religious  Life       99 

is  in  Christ  when  presented,  and  to  practise  His 
teachings  with  zeal. 

The  results  of  mission  work  certainly  seem  to 
prove  that  they  are  pre-eminently  a  religious  .people,, 
although,  when  we  first  arrived^  their  attitude,  toward  . 
their  old  systems  had  led  us  to  believe  that  they  were 
lacking  in  religious  sentiment. 


IV 

FORMS  AKD  METHODS  OF  WORK 

IN  going  to  a  land  like  Korea  and  in  trying  to 
draw  a  nation  from  its   seclusion,  and   to  win 
its  acceptance  of  Christianity   with  its  attend- 
ant blessings,  of  course  great  care  must  be  exercised 
in  the  manner  of  approach,  and  in  every  step  that  is 
taken. 

The  Boards  of  Missions  that  in  1884  decided  to 
begin  work  in  the  Hermit  Nation,  acted  wisely  in  ap- 
pointing three  physicians  and  two  cleri- 
cal men  with  their  families.  The  story 
of  Dr.  Allen's  arrival,  providentially  just  previous  to 
the  emeute  of  1884,  and  his  success  in  saving  the  life 
of  the  favorite  cousin  of  the  Queen,  holding  the  posi- 
tion equivalent  to  Prime  Minister,  is  too  well  known 
to  need  repetition.  This,  however,  as  may  be  con- 
jectured, at  once  won  for  the  doctor  favor  at  court, 
which  extended  not  only  to  his  assistants  of  the  medi- 
cal profession,  but  also  to  all  connected  with  mission 
work,  and  soon  embraced  all  Americans. 

Medical  work  at  the  opening  was  also  of  no  little 
assistance  in  winning  the  favor  of  the  people  in  coun- 
try villages  where  medicines  were  given  and  in  open- 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work  loi 

ing  closed  doors  everywhere.  To-daj  medicine  is  no 
longer  needed  to  pave  the  way.  American  mission- 
aries and  Americans  have  won  such  a  place  in  the 
hearts  of  the  people  that  a  ready  hearing  is  accorded 
wherever  they  go,  but  medicine  is  the  ever-ready 
hand-maid  of  the  evangelist  in  endeavoring  to  carry 
out  the  Gospel  command,  "As  ye  go,  heal  the  sick," 
and  in  many  cases  those  who  could  not  be  reached 
in  any  other  way  are  won  through  the  faithful  and 
timely  ministrations  of  the  physician  and  nurse. 

In  important  centres,  fully  equipped  hospitals  for 
both  sexes  have  been  established,  and  here  not  only 
is  full  dispensary  and  hospital  work  car- 
ried on,  but  native  Christian  nurses  and 
doctors  are  being  trained,  who,  in  their  turn,  shall  by 
their  lives  of  loving  service  exemplify  the  Gospel 
they  profess. 

The  very  fact  that  the  missionary  physicians  have 
from  the  beginning  up  to  to-day  had  free  entree  to  the 
palace  has  naturally  had  a  widespread  and  powerful 
effect  upon  the  whole  nation,  and  has  had  no  little  to 
do  with  the  constant  favor  that  missionaries  have 
continually  received  everywhere. 

In  addition  to  all  this,  the  work  of  the  medical  mis- 
sions in  times  of  serious  epidemics,  both  of  Asiatic 
cholera  and  typhus  fever,  and  the  fact  that  at  such 
times  the  government  has  committed  the  making  of 
sanitary  rules  to  the  mission  physicians,  and  has 
placed  the  entire  work  in  their  hands,  together  with 
their  steadfastness  of  purpose  and  fearlessness,  has 


I02  The  Call  of  Korea 

been  a  great  factor  in  the  increase  of  the  Church. 
At  the  risk  of  repetition,  I  would  sum  up  in  a  few 
words  the  main  means  bj  which,  in  God's  providence, 
medical  missions  have  had  a  very  marked  effect  on 
the  nation. 

First  and  foremost,  the  repeated,  continued,  and 

public  marks  of  royal  favor  shown  to  missionaries,  as 

Five  marked    mentioned  above,  almost  all  have  resulted 

results  from 

medical  missions  from  medical  missions  and  have  been 
used  of  God  in  the  furtherance  of  the  Gospel. 

Second,  in  the  introduction  of  vaccination.  Before ' 
the  arrival  of  the  missionaries  smallpox  was  the 
scourge  of  the  country,  and  it  was  impossible  to  find 
anyone  who  had  not  suffered,  or  a  family  which  had 
not  lost  several  victims.  To-day  vacciuation  has  been 
introduced  into  nearly  every  village,  and,  a  thing 
previously  unknown,  many  have  reached  maturity 
without  having  suffered  from  this  malignant  disease. 

Third,  the  establishment  at  the  capital  of  a  hospital 
for  contagious  and  infectious  diseases,  by  the  benefi- 
cent workings  of  which  hundreds  of  poor  people  cast 
out  by  the  wayside  to  die,  in  summer's  scorching  heat, 
drenching  rain,  or  winter's  icy  blasts,  were  sheltered, 
nursed,  and  often  saved,  and  always  tenderly  cared 
for  till  the  last, — demonstrating  clearly  the  love  and 
mercy  taught  by  Christianity, — and  the  devotion  and 
courage  of  the  missionary  and  native  Christians, 
shamed  the  government  into  passing  a  law  forbidding 
the  casting  out  of  these  poor  victims. 

Fourth,  in  the  great  epidemic  of  cholera,  the  mar- 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         103 

vellous  cures  resulting,  the  untiring  devotion  of  the 
missionaries  and  their  native  assistants,  together  with 
the  prompt  and  timely  aid  rendered  by  the  inspection 
corps  stationed  in  specified  districts  which  were  a 
quick  aid  to  the  injured,  and  which  often  succeeded 
in  stamping  out  its  first  beginnings,  and  very  mate- 
rially prevented  its  spread,  were  remarked  upon 
throughout  the  whole  land  and  claimed  attention 
from  high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  who  said,  "Would 
we  love  even  our  own  people  as  these  foreigners  love 
us ;  and  why  ?" 

Fifth,  there  is  little  doubt  in  the  minds  of  most 
of  us  that  after  the  battle  of  Pyeng  Yang,  in  1894, 
the  presence  in  the  wretched,  forsaken,  and  disease- 
infested  city  of  Dr.  Hall  and  the  evangelists,  Messrs. 
Moffett  and  Lee,  rendering  their  devoted  services  to 
the  sick  and  dying,  and  cheering  and  encouraging  the 
despairing,  done  as  it  was  at  the  risk  of  their  lives, 
for  which  indeed  the  saintly  doctor  sacrificed  his 
life,  was  the  cause  in  God's  hands  of  the  beginning  of 
the  great  work  which  then  began  in  the  north,  and 
which  has  gone  on  with  constantly  accelerating  speed 
and  power  ever  since. 

As  in  other  fields,  so  here,  it  is  not  easy  for  the 
medical  missionary  to  combine  the  functions  of  doc- 
tor and  evangelist,  and  the  tendency  is,  if  he  answers 
to  the  full  demands  of  the  medical  work,  to  become  a 
physician  only,  and  if,  on  the  other  hand,  he  yields 
to  the  ever-increasing  calls  on  the  evangelistic  work, 
he  will  find  a  tendency  to  give  up  his  medical  work. 


I04  The  Call  of  Korea 

Those  who  can  maintain  the  happy  mean  are  verv 
rare. 

While  the  above  has  given  us  something  of  the  be- 
ginnings of  the  medical  work,  which  was  certainly 
winning  an  opening  to  the  hearts  of  the  people  for  the 
medical  missionary  and  for  his  friends,  the  dijQficulty 
before  the  clerical  missionary  was  that  of  getting  in 
close  touch  with  the  native,  studying  his  habits, 
methods  of  life,  methods  of  thought,  and  really  com- 
ing to  know  him  from  his  own  side.  E'owhere  in  the 
world  is  the  suggestion  contained  in  the  motto,  "Put 
yourself  in  his  place,"  more  needed  than  on  the  for- 
eign field.  Especially  in  the  Orient,  you  and  those 
you  expect  to  reach,  although  sitting,  perhaps,  side  by 
side,  are  really  at  the  antipodes,  and,  unless  you 
are  careful,  every  word  you  say,  everything  you  do, 
and  almost  every  breath  you  breathe,  may  be  grating 
on  the  nerves  of  him  with  whom  you  are  talking. 

Desirous,  then,  of  having  as  many  opportunities  as 
possible  for  the  study  of  the  Koreans  as  well  as  of 
Claaaes  for        Korean,  one  of  the  first  means  that  sug- 
Eagiish  gested  itself  to  us   was  that  of  starting 

classes  for  the  study  of  English,  and  at  the  same  time 
a  room  was  fitted  up  as  a  Korean  "sarang,"  or  guest- 
room, and  here  our  teachers  were  encouraged  to 
gather  their  friends  for  an  evening  chat  and  smoke, 
and,  although  to  us  the  strong  fumes  were  unpleasant, 
and,  as  at  the  start  we  knew  nothing  of 
the  language,  the  incessant  chattering 
was  hard  to  endure,  at  the  same  time  our  ears  were 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         105 

being  trained  to  distinguish  between  the  sounds,  and 
while  we  were  drinking  in  Korean,  we  were  at  the 
same  time  becoming  better  acquainted  with  the  cus- 
toms and  habits  of  those  among  whom  we  were  to 
labor.  . 

Among  those  who  attended  the  school  was  a  Mr. 
1^0,  who  sedulously  refrained  from  attending  morn- 
ing prayers,  almost  always  arriving  at 
their  close,  and  if  by  chance  he  came  ^*  convert 
earlier,  waiting  on  the  outside  till  they  were  finished. 
iS'o  compulsion  was  used,  although  invitations  were 
extended  to  be  present  at  our  Sunday  services.  Later 
I  learned  that  Mr.  ISTo  did  not  wish  to  study  English, 
but  being  a  good  Chinese  scholar,  and  desirous  of  get- 
ting all  the  information  that  he  could,  in  his  varied 
reading  he  had  seen  a  book  which  described  foreign 
countries.  In  this  was  stated  something  about  the 
progress,  size,  and  power  of  these  foreign  nations, 
and  that  all  Western  nations  were  followers  of  the 
Christian  faith,  which,  it  was  claimed,  was  a  vile  re- 
ligion. Mr.  1^0,  a  thinking  man,  had  not  deemed  it 
possible  that  these  nations  could  attain  such  promi- 
nence and  power,  if  their  religion  were  so  vile  as 
stated.  He  had,  therefore,  come  to  our  compounds, 
secured  an  entree  to  our  homes,  and  pretended  to  de- 
sire to  study  English,  in  order  that  he  might  find  out 
some  of  the  truths  concerning  Christianity,  and  yet 
felt  that  he  dared  not  let  anyone  know  what  he  was 
after.  In  his  extreme  care  he  hesitated  to  make 
any  definite  statement  in  regard  to  his  quest,  but 


io6  The  Call  of  Korea 

in  much  trepidation  was  trying  to  find  out  the 
truth.  After  he  had  been  studying  for  some  months, 
one  day  he  found  himself  alone  in  Dr.  Allen's  study, 
and  saw  upon  his  desk  two  books,  marked  in  Chinese, 
"Matthew's  Good  News,"  "Luke's  Good  :N'ews." 
Quickly  slipping  them  up  his  capacious  sleeves,  he 
awaited  the  doctor's  return,  and  simply  passing  the 
time  of  day,  started  for  his  home.  He  had  at  last 
found  what  he  was  wanting.  Arrived  at  his  own 
house,  he  went  into  the  inner  room  and  began  reading. 
Charmed  and  fascinated,  he  spent  the  night  in  read- 
ing and  re-reading  these  two  books,  and  early  the  next 
morning  he  came  into  my  study,  and,  casting  all 
fears  aside,  boldly  drew  the  two  volumes  from  his 
sleeves,  and  holding  them  up,  exclaimed,  as  he  ap- 
proached me,  "It's  good!  It's  grand!"  and  together 
we  sat  down  and  talked  about  God,  Christ,  and  a 
hereafter.  Steadily  this  man  grew  in  knowledge, 
early  in  1886  he  asked  to  be  baptized,  and  receiving 
baptism  on  the  eleventh  day  of  July,  1886,  was  the 
first  fruit  of  our  labor  in  Korea. 

As  soon  as  we  had  secured  a  little  knowledge  of  the 
language,  we  regularly  went  out  in  the  lanes  and  by- 
Early  street      ways,  and,  sitting  down  under  some  tree, 
work  near  a  frequented  road,  or  beside  some 

medicinal  spring  to  which  the  people  were  in  the 
habit  of  flocking,  we  would  take  out  a  book  and  start 
reading,  and  when  several  gathered  around  us  to  ask 
questions,  we  would  attempt  to  explain  to  them  the 
book,  its  truths,  and  what  it  meant ;  but,  of  course,  in 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         107 

all  this,  it  was  necessary  for  us  to  find  some  common 
ground  on  which  we  both  stood,  and  lead  them  grad- 
ually, from  what  was,  to  them,  the  known  to  the  un- 
known. Later,  this  street  work  developed  further, 
and  gatherings  were  held  on  larger  streets,  or  in  vil* 
lages,  and  in  certain  sections  street  chapels  were 
opened.  The  Koreans,  however,  had  no  theatres,  no 
lecture  halls,  were  not  accustomed  to  gathering  in 
large  meetings,  and,  from  the  very  start,  we  relied 
considerably  on  the  hand-to-hand  work  that  could  be 
done  in  the  native  "sarangs"  mentioned  above. 

Before  our  arrival,  not  a  little  introductory  work 
had  been  accomplished  through  the  labors  of  Messrs. 
Ross  and  Mclntyre,  in  China,  who,  being  on  the  main 
road  between  Pekin  and  Seoul,  had  seized  the  op- 
portunity presented  by  the  passing  of  Koreans,  to 
learn  the  language,  preach  the  Gospel,  and  prepare 
tracts  and  portions  of  the  Bible.  Several  of  their 
converts  had  returned  to  Korea,  and,  as  colporteurs 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  had  been 
engaged  in  a  widespread  seed-sowing,  that  did  much 
to  prepare  the  way.  One  of  these  colporteurs,  re- 
turning, had  settled  in  the  village  of  Sorai,  and  here 
he  had  so  lived  Christ  that  several  of  his  neighbors 
had  professed  conversion,  and  when  the  Early 

.....  bflginniiif  at 

missionary  first  arrived  in  this  village,        Sorai 
he  found  Christianity  well  spoken  of,  both  here  and 
in  the  surrounding  neighborhood.     Toward  the  close 
of  1886,  the  colporteur,  Mr.  Soh  Sang  Eyun,  pre- 
sented himself  at  my  house,  with  a  letter  of  intro- 


io8  The  Call  of  Korea 

duction  from  Mr.  Ross,  and  told  me  that  there  were 
a  number  desiring  baptism  in  his  village.  This,  and 
the  demands  that  began  to  come  in  from  other  points 
in  the  interior,  called  for  the  beginnings  of  our  itin- 
erating work.  Packing  our  books  in  boxes,  which 
were  laden  on  ponies,  and  with  a  good  supply  of  qui- 
nine and  other  simple  remedies  for  the  alleviation  of 
suffering,  we  started  on  our  first  trip,  with  Sorai, 
Pyeng  Yang,  and  Euiju  as  our  objective 

me  a  ing  points.  The  trip  being  a  long  one,  it  was 
impossible  for  us  to  stop  at  every  village  on  the  road, 
but  at  our  noon  and  evening  halting  places,  we  opened 
our  packs,  addressed  the  crowds  that  gathered,  and 
offered  our  medicines  and  books  for  sale.  It  was  on 
this  first  trip  that  we  soon  found  that  there  was  such 
a  desire  for  books,  for  which  they  were  willing  to  pay 
a  fair  price,  that  we  had  to  limit  the  sale  in  each 
place,  so  as  to  make  our  stock  last  the  journey  round, 
and  even  then,  although  extra  supplies  were  sent  to  us 
on  our  trip,  we  were  completely  sold  out  before  we 
left  Euiju,  and  had  nothing  for  the  return.  It  must 
be  remembered  that  these  people  did  not  buy  the 
books  because  they  were  Christian,  but  the  fact  that 
they  purchased  them  in  spite  of  this  proved  that  a 
wide  door  was  open  to  the  Gospel. 

It  was  after  our  second  trip  to  Sorai  that  a  com- 
pany of  Christians  from  this  village  waited  on  us  in 

First  chTiich  *^®  spring  of  1890,  and,  telling  about  the 
^^^  progress  of  their  work,  said  that  they 

were  so  numerous  that  they  needed  a  chapel,  and 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         109 

asked  whether  the  Mission  would  not  provide  one  for 
them.  iN'ot  being  acquainted  with  the  fact  that  this 
was  customary  in  some  other  lands,  I  replied  at  once, 
''Why,  no.  You  will  build  your  own  chapel,"  'and 
when  they,  in  surprise,  expressed  their  inability  to  do 
so,  I  replied,  "You  have  plenty  of  trees,  stones,  straw, 
as  materials  for  tiles  and  bricks,  if  you  want  to  use 
them,  and  if  you  will  only  let  me  know  when  you  are 
ready  to  build  your  chapel,  I  will  gladly  help  by  com- 
ing down  to  assist  in  cutting  down^the  trees,  and  in 
the  erection."  It  was,  indeed,  with  sorry  hearts  that 
this  committee  from  the  church  in  Sorai  returned  to 
tell  the  failure  of  their  mission,  but  later,  when  they 
became  stronger  in  numbers  and  in  faith,  under  the 
able  leadership  of  the  lamented  Mr.  McKenzie,  they 
put  up,  without  any  outside  help,  the  first  church 
ever  built  in  Korea  for  this  purpose,  which  was  ded- 
icated on  the  3d  of  July,  1895. 

In  the  spring  of  1890,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  JN'evius,  of 
Cheefoo,  China,  visited  Seoul,  and  in  several  confer- 
ences, laid  before  the  missionaries  there      uevius  meth- 
the  methods  of  mission  work  commonly   od  adopted 
known  as  the  I^evius  method. 

After  careful  and  prayerful  consideration,  we  were 
led,  in  the  main,  to  adopt  this,  and  it  has  been  the 
policy  of  the  Mission  first,  to  let  each  man  "Abide  in 
the  calling  wherein  he  was  found,"  teaching  that 
each  was  to  be  an  individual  worker  for  Christ,  and 
to  live  Christ  in  his  own  neighborhood,  supporting 
himself  by  his  trade. 


no  The  Call  of  Korea 

Secondly,  to  develop  Church  methods  and  machin- 
ery only  so  far  as  the  native  Church  was  able  to  take 
care  of  and  manage  the  same. 

Third,  as  far  as  the  Church  itself  was  able  to  pro- 
vide the  men  and  the  means,  to  set  aside  those  who 
seemed  the  better  qualified,  to  do  evangelistic  work 
among  their  neighbors. 

Fourth,  to  let  the  natives  provide  their  own  church 
buildings,  which  were  to  be  native  in  architecture, 
and  of  such  style  as  the  local  church  could  afford  to 
put  up. 

Of  course,  in  the  execution  of  any  such  plan,  dif- 
ficulties existed,  but  circumstances  were  largely  our 
Leaders  and  ^^^®  ^^  Overcoming  these.  The  indi- 
superintendenta  vidual  Christians,  who  first  learned  the 
truth,  generally  became  the  teachers  of 
others  in  their  district,  or  village,  and  naturally,  the 
leaders  of  the  groups  that  they  had  started.  These 
men  were  gathered  into  Bible  classes  for  leaders,  to 
be  instructed  as  to  their  duties,  as  to  how  to  teach  and 
how  to  watch  over  the  groups  under  their  charge. 
!N'ot  infrequently,  among  these  leaders  of  the  local 
classes,  one  and  another  would  show  special  profi- 
ciency in  the  Bible  and  in  the  work,  and  a  district, 
sometimes  at  the  suggestion  of  the  missionary,  but 
more  often  at  their  own  initiative,  would  suggest  that 
such  an  one  become  a  superintendent  of  a  district,  and 
among  the  various  groups  would  raise  his  salary.  In 
new  districts  sometimes  the  Mission,  by  way  of  en- 
couragement, would  at  the  beginning  pay  one-half  the 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         iii 

cost  of  such  a  helper,  but  this  was  only  temporarily, 
and  even  then  the  Mission,  except  in  extraordinary 
circumstances,  would  not  allow  any  missionary  to 
have  funds  that  would  total  up  to  more  than 
that  of  two  paid  helpers.  These  district  leaders 
were,  of  course,  gathered  into  special  classes, 
where  they  were  instructed.  It  soon  became  neces- 
sary to  hold  leaders'  classes,  which  were  graded  and 
developed  later  into  special  theological  instruction, 
where  more  definite  and  prolonged  teaching  was 
given. 

In  addition  to  these,  there  were  held  the  larger 
Bible  classes  which  were  put  through  a  graded  course 
of  instruction  and  have  gradually  grown  -^ 

in  numbers  varying  from  200  in  the  Bible  olasaes 
south,  in  a  class,  to  1300  in  the  north.  The  attend- 
ants return  to  their  own  sections,  and,  under  the 
guidance  and  direction  of  the  missionaries  and  dis- 
trict leaders,  hold  local  classes,  so  that  in  the  past 
year,*  in  the  one  station  of  Pyeng  Tang  in  the  north, 
191  such  local  classes  were  reported  in  the  Presby- 
terian Mission  alone,  with  an  attendance  of  over 
10,000.  These  methods  have  developed  in  Korea  an 
intensely  active  native  Church,  with  an  ardent  desire 
for  the  study  of  the  Word,  and  it  is,  I  believe,  very 
largely  due,  under  God,  to  this  zeal  that  has  been  thus 
developed  in  the  native  Church,  that  the  great  success 
of  the  past  years  is  due. 

The  missionaries  in  Korea  have  not  been  blind  to 
•1907. 


112  The  Call  of  Korea 

the  needs  of  education,  and  of  an  educated  church 
and  ministry,  but  the  evangelistic  work 
has,  from  the  start,  so  overwhelmed 
them  that  they  have  not  been  able  to  give 
all  the  attention  that  they  would  have  liked  to 
educational  needs.  The  opportunities  for  evan- 
gelistic work  being  larger  and  more  numerous 
than  they  were  able  to  attend  to,  schools  for  evangel- 
istic purposes,  much  as  they  might  have  helped,  were 
not  needed  in  Korea.  As  soon,  however,  as  a  church 
was  started  in  a  locality,  the  question  at  once  arose 
as  to  what  was  to  be  done  about  the  children  of  the 
Christians.  It  would  not  be  for  their  spiritual  ben- 
efit for  them  to  be  sent  to  heathen  schools,  and  in 
some  places  the  fact  that  they  were  Christians  would 
Self-Bunport-    debar  them  from  admission.     Christian 

ing  paroomal  ,  ,  i     i    i.  i 

schools  schools  were  then  needed  irom  the  very 

start.  The  little  church  at  Sorai,  here  again,  was 
among  the  first,  not  only  to  realize  this  need,  but  to 
take  steps  to  meet  it,  and  very  early  in  its  history, 
even  before  it  had  provided  for  its  own  church  build- 
ing, had  established  its  Church  primary  school  with 
its  Christian  teacher.  'No  little  difficulty  was  found 
in  providing  Christian  text-books,  and  at  the  start 
the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  strive  to  eliminate 
from  the  heathen  books  their  heathen  features.  The 
aim,  then,  at  the  present  time,  is  that  each  church  of 
any  size  shall  have  its  parochial  school,  the  expenses 
of  which  it  shall  pay,  and  in  one  Mission  alone,  whose 
statistics  are  at  hand,  there  are  337  such  primary 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work  1 13 

schools  (up  to  the  present  time  mainly  for  boys),  of 
which  334  are  entirely  self -supported. 

The  graduates  from  these  primary  schools,  having 
gained  a  taste  for  learning,  naturally  want  something 
more,   and  the  Missions  have  been  forced  Academies 

to  provide  for  academic  instruction  at  and  ooliegea 
certain  points.  It  is  the  expectation  that  in  these 
academic  schools  the  buildings,  equipment,  and  teach- 
ing, shall,  in  the  main,  be  provided  by  the  Boards  of 
Missions  at  home,  while  the  students  shall  be  expected 
to  support  themselves,  and  pay  suflBcient  for  tuition 
to  cover  the  ordinary  incidental  and  running  ex- 
penses. The  native  churches,  however,  realize  that 
this   work   is   for    themselves,    and    are  Education 

.  ,       ,     .       ,  »    1  for  sons  of 

anxious  to  provide  their  share  01  the  cost  the  ohnroh 
of  these  plants,  and  are  doing  nobly,  far  more  than 
the  Missions  could  have  expected,  for  this  also.  The 
Missions  still  further  plan  that  these  academies  shall 
lead  up  to,  and  centre  in,  colleges  at  one  or  two  points, 
and  for  these  they  are  preparing.  In  all  this  work 
it  should  be  especially  noted  that  the  educational 
system  that  is  thus  developed  for  Korea,  which 
plans  that  primary  schools,  academies,  and  col- 
leges shall  all  synchronize,  is  primarily  for  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  for  the  education  of  its  sons. 
Of  course,  those  outside  will  not  be  refused  ad- 
mission, but  this  is  the  object  held  in  view  by  the 
Missions. 

In  regard  to  theological  instruction,  the  pastors 
and   evangelists    of    Korea   will    come    from    two 


114  The  Call  of  Korea 

sources;  from  the  leaders  of  groups  who  have 
Theological  developed  into  Mission  helpers,  and  from 
instruction  ^]^q  graduates  of  our  schools  and  col- 
leges. ^Necessarily,  for  these,  two  classes  of  in- 
struction are  being  provided.  For  those  who 
have  graduated  from  the  helpers'  classes  a  five 
years'  course  has  been  arranged,  and  for  those  who 
graduate  from  our  colleges,  it  is  planned  to  eliminate 
from  this  those  studies  that  have  already  been  cov- 
ered in  the  academic  and  college  work,  and  to  provide 
a  three  years'  course.  At  the  present  time  there  are, 
in  Korea,  two  such  theological  schools :  one  being  the 
Biblical  Institute,  situated  at  Seoul,  under  the  care 
of.  the  Methodist  Churches,  of  which  Dr.  George 
Heber  Jones  is  president,  and  the  other,  the  The- 
ological Seminary  of  Pyeng  Yang,  which  is  to  pro- 
vide ministers  for  the  Presbyterian  Churches,  and  of 
which  Dr.  Samuel  A.  Moffett  is  president. 

Prom  the  very  beginning  of  the  work,  the  need  of 
a  Christian  literature  has  been  a  felt  want.  Bible 
Christian  translation  was  very  early  begun,  and 
Bible  work  even  in  1887  the  Gospel  of  Mark  was 
prepared  by  the  Rev.  H.  G.  Appenzeller  and  the 
writer,  and  printed.  As  early  as  possible,  mission- 
aries were  asked  to  give  considerable  of  their  time  to 
this  important  work,  and  latterly  several  have  been 
set  aside,  to  undertake  this  almost  exclusively.  Even 
as  early  as  1888  a  Korean  Religious 
Tract  societies  rp^,^^^  Society  was  organized,  and,  assisted 
by  the  Religious  Tract  Society  of  London  and  the 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         115 

American  Tract  Society,  but  in  the  main  drawing  its 
fmids  from  the  missionaries  and  the  native  Church, 
it  has  been  publishing  and  disseminating  tracts  of  an 
evangelistic  and  instructive  nature.  The  Methodist 
Mission  early   founded   the    Tri-lingual  Methodist 

Press,  which  has  all  these  years  been  press 
doing  a  quiet  but  effectual  work,  in  printing  Chris- 
tian literature,  school  text-books,  and  Bibles  for  the 
Missions.  While  their  plant  has  not  been  large 
enough,  nor  sufficiently  supported  with  funds  from 
home,  to  be  in  a  position  to  do  all  the  work  for  Korea, 
they  have  nobly  borne  the  burden  and  heat  of  the  day, 
and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  be  so  thoroughly 
equipped  that  they  can  meet  the  needs  of  the  field. 

Various  attempts  have  been  made  for  providing  a 
religious  press  in  the  vernacular,  and  the  Korean 
Christian  Advocate,  and  the  Christian  Religions  and 
News,  as  well  as  a  theological  quarterly,  secular  press 
and  a  Sunday  school  monthly,  have,  all  of  them,  had 
wide  circulation,  and  have  done  no  little  good  in 
spreading  abroad  the  truth  and  sowing  seed.  In  fact, 
the  Church  has  so  largely  taken  in  hand  this  work, 
that  a  Christian  tone  has  been  given  to  the  secular 
press,  and  in  the  fall  of  this  year,  1907,  we  find  that 
prominent  characters  in  serial  stories,  that  are  now 
being  published  in  the  daily  and  weekly  press  of 
Seoul,  are  Christian,  and  that  their  very  actions  and 
words,  as  detailed  in  the  stories,  are  preaching  the 
Gospel.  A  strong  move  has,  of  late,  been  made,  for 
the  unification  of  efforts  and  thus  improving  the  re- 


ii6  The  Call  of  Korea 

ligious  press,  and  at  the  present  time  we  have  a  union 
weekly,  the  Christian  News,  a  union  Sunday- 
school  publication  that  provides  lesson-sheets  for  the 
whole  Church,  and  a  theological  quarterly,  all  of 
which  are  almost  on  a  self-supporting  basis. 

In  regard  to  work  for  women,  the  strict  seclusion 
of  India  and  Turkey  is  not  maintained,  and  it  has 
Work  for        been  found  that,  for  instruction  and  med- 
women  j^^j    treatment,    many    of    the    native 

women  will  consent  to  meet  the  male  doctor  and  cleri- 
cal worker.  As  a  result,  we  have  not  been  forced  to 
establish  everywhere  separate  hospitals  and  dispen- 
saries for  women,  nor  to  give  such  great  prominence 
to  "zenana"  work,  as  they  have  been  forced  to  do  in 
India.  However,  our  lady  evangelistic  workers  are 
much  better  able  to  meet  the  women,  can  have 
larger  classes  than  the  men,  and  can  accomplish  a 
vast  amount  of  good.  To  gain  an  entree  into  homes, 
and  get  in  close  touch  with  the  higher  classes,  our 
lady  evangelistic  workers  are  almost  indispensable. 
At  the  present  time,  in  the  tremendous  pressure  of 
the  evangelistic  work,  the  aid  given  by  the  lady 
workers  is  absolutely  necessary,  and,  during  this 
year,  1907,  one  Mission  alone,  at  its  annual  meeting, 
asked  for  twenty  more  women,  to  be  sent  at 
once. 

In  the  main,  the  work  for  women  is  carried  on 
along  the  same  lines  as  that  for  men,  Bible  classes  for 
leaders,  for  members  and  local  classes. 

At  several  large  centres,  separate  hospitals  and 


Forms  and   Methods  of  Work  117 

dispensaries,  mainly  under  the  care  of  the  Methodist 
Churches,    have   been    established,    and  women's 

here  large  numbers   of   dispensary   pa-        hospitala 
tients  are  treated,  and  the  successes  in  hospital  work 
help  much  to  keep  up  the  good  name  that  medical 
missions  have  won  in  Korea- 
There  is,   however,   a  very  important  branch  of 
work  in  which  lady  missionaries  are  indispensable, 

namely,  in  girls'  schools.     As  in  all  Ori- 

•^'        '='  .  ,.  .  Qirla' schools 

ental  lands,  the  education  of  women  in 

anything  besides  culinary  and  other  household  arts 
was  not  considered  necessary,  and  it  was  compara- 
tively rare  to  find  any  who  could  even  read  the  native 
character,  except  in  a  few  sections.  The  introduction 
of  the  Bible,  and  consequently  the  increased  respect 
and  consideration  accorded  to  women,  has  made  girls' 
schools  a  necessity. 

While  in  the  beginning  only  the  children  of  the 
poorest,  little  starving  waifs  in  the  city,  who  were  con- 
sidered as  useless,  and  who  would  otherwise  have 
been  sold  as  slaves,  or  cast  out  to  beg  or  starve,  could 
be  obtained  for  our  girls'  schools,  and  even  the  daugh- 
ters of  the  first  converts  did  not  then  enter;  to-day, 
not  only  are  our  schools  crowded  with  the  children  of 
Christians,  who  are  willing  to  pay  for  board  and 
clothing,  and  in  some  cases  tuition,  but  even  the 
heathen  people  are  begging  and  entreating  us  to  take 
their  girls  or  to  establish  more  schools. 

Instruction  for  women  and  girls  is  provided  for  in 
four  ways. 


ii8  The  Call  of  Korea 

First,  as  far  as  possible,  primary  schools  for  girls 
are  being  established  by  our  churches,  self -supporting 
F  k'  dfl  f  -^^^^  ^^^  other  primary  schools,  and  under 
girls' schools  the  care  of  those  in  charge  of  the  board- 
ing schools,  and  taught  by  their  graduates. 

Second,  at  convenient  seasons  during  the  year,  sum- 
mer and  winter,  girls'  schools  are  held,  to  last  for 
periods  of  about  three  months  each,  to  which  those 
girls  who  cannot  be  spared  for  continuous  study  are 
sent,  and  these  schools  are  also  made  entirely  self- 
supporting. 

Third,  it  has  been  found  necessary  to  meet  the  de- 
mand for  some  instruction  for  young  married  women, 
and  widows,  in  Christian  families,  and  it  has  not  been 
thought  that  this  could  best  be  done  in  the  schools 
just  mentioned,  and  for  them  separate  schools  at  con- 
venient seasons  have  also  been  established,  and  at 
these  instruction  is  also  given  in  elementary  branches 
in  household  work  and  hygiene,  and  in  the  care  and 
training  of  children,  as  well  as  in  the  Bible. 

Fourthly,  for  the  graduates  of  our  primary  schools, 
and  for  all  those  demanding  a  higher  education,  girls' 
boarding  schools,  under  the  care  of  competent 
teachers,  have  been  established  in  the  main  centres. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago,  a  native,  seeing  the 
various  methods  employed  by  the  missionaries,  to  con- 
vert Koreans,  ventured  to  suggest  that  the  first  and 
main  effort  should  be  to  win  the  women,  saying  that 
if  the  mothers  were  Christians,  the  whole  nation 
would  be  won,  and  so  in  these  different  ways  are  the 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         119 

missionaries  endeavoring  to  train  up  Christian,  edu- 
cated mothers,  to  bring  the  whole  people  to  Christ. 

Early  in  the  beginning  of  this  century,  it  was  felt 
that  the  time  had  come  for  the  establishment  of  some 
special  means,  that  would  aim  at  reach- 
ing the  young  men  of  the  upper  class,  and 
a  request  was  sent  to  the  international  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
They  responded  almost  at  once,  and  the  wisdom  of 
the  effort  has  been  clearly  proven  in  the  marked  suc- 
cess that  has  followed  their  work.  Despite  the  fact 
that  they  were  compelled  to  begin,  and — up  to  the 
present — to  carry  on  their  work  in  inadequate  quar- 
ters, poorly  equipped,  they  have  been  crowded  to  their 
utmost  capacity.  The  young  men  have  responded 
admirably  to  the  suggestion  that  they  should  raise 
their  share  of  the  needed  funds,  and  through  the  gen- 
erosity of  an  American  a  fine  building  is  now  in 
course  of  erection.  One  incident  in  this  connection 
is  worthy  of  note.  In  purchasing  the  necessary  site, 
when  nearly  all  the  funds  available  had  been  used, 
it  was  found  that  one  comer  lot  on  the  main  street 
must  still  be  purchased  to  complete  the  site,  and  it 
was  learned  that  this  was  owned  by  a  General  Hyun, 
who  had  always  been  a  friend  to  Americans,  but  had 
shown  no  interest  in  Christianity.  Instead  of  ap- 
proaching him  through  a  real  estate  broker  (the  reg- 
ular procedure)  we  determined  to  call  on  him  in  per- 
son, and,  telling  him  an  American  Christian  man  had 
given  $30,000  toward  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  building  for 
the  use  of  the  young  Koreans,  and  that  for  this  we 


I20  The  Call  of  Korea 

had  purchased  the  property  on  two  sides  of  his  corner 
lot,  and  that  we  now  found  that  his  lot  was  also 
needed,  we  asked  at  what  price  he  would  dispose  of 
it.  He  at  once  replied  that  if  an  American  gentle- 
man gave  $30,000  for  a  building  for  his  people,  the 
least  he  could  do  would  be  to  make  a  donation  of  his 
small  lot,  and  that  he  would  have  the  proper  deeds 
made  out  and  sent  around  to  us.  This  lot,  at  a  low 
estimate,  was  worth  $2,000.  Eemembering  that  the 
wage-rate  here  is  from  fifteen  to  twenty  cents  a  day, 
for  a  laboring  man,  this  would  represent  fully  a  pur- 
chasing power  of  $20,000  in  America. 

In  speaking  of  forms  of  mission  work  anywhere, 
and  especially  in  Korea,  it  would  not  be  right  to  omit 
to  mention  the  ready  assistance  that  has 
1  e  stu  y  l^een  given  by  the  Bible  societies.  Vari- 
ous claims  as  to  priority  have,  at  times,  been  made, 
but  in  their  efforts  to  help  work  in  Korea,  from  both 
China  and  Japan,  we  find  that  the  parent  society,  the 
British  and  Foreign,  together  with  its  two  strong  and 
vigorous  children,  the  American  Bible  Society  and 
the  N'ational  Bible  Society  of  Scotland,  has  ren- 
dered valuable  aid. 

They  have  always  been  ready  to  print  and  circulate 
the  Scriptures,  and  have  unitedly  assisted  in  the 
translations. 

The  Bible  work  is  imder  the  care  of  a  Bible  com- 
mittee, composed  of  representatives  elected  from  the 
various  missionary  bodies,  and  advises  and  controls 
the  translating  through  a  board  of  translators  elected 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         121 

by  them,  and  directs  the  printing  and  circulation  with 
the  assistance  of  the  Bible  Society  agent,  or  agents. 

As  has  been  noted  above,  the  translation  of  the 
Bible  was  considered  of  prime  importance,  and  early 
received  attention  from  individual  mis-  j.^j^^ 

sionaries.  The  necessity  of  unifying  all  translation 
work  in  the  land  having  been  demonstrated  to  the 
writer  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Hepburn  in  1887,  a  Bible  com- 
mittee, at  his  suggestion,  in  the  summer  of  this  year 
was  organized,  when  the  Rev.  H.  C.  Appenzeller,  Dr. 
W.  B.  Scranton,  and  the  writer  were  appointed  trans- 
lators, and  on  this  board  Mr.  Appenzeller  served  until 
his  untimely  death,  which  he  met  in  his  endeavor  to 
meet  an  appointment  on  this  board.  It  is  impossible 
here  to  name  all  those  who  have  from  time  to  time 
assisted  in  this  work — suffice  it  to  say  that  for  a 
short  time  Pastor  Malcolm  C.  Fenwick,  Dr.  George 
Heber  Jones,  the  Eev.  Mr.  Trollop,  and  others  have 
assisted. 

The  Church  of  England,  to  which  Mr.  Trollop  be- 
longed, since  his  return  home,  have  been  unable  to 
spare  any  of  their  number  to  assist.  The  Board  at 
present  consists  of  Eev.  Dr.  J.  S.  Gale,  Rev.  W.  B. 
Reynolds,  Rev.  Alexander  Pieters,  and  the  writer, 
together  with  a  number  of  native  assistants.  It  may 
seem  that  this  work  has  been  slow,  but  when  we  com- 
pare the  time  of  the  commencement  of  Missions  in 
Korea  and  the  completion  of  the  permanent  New 
Testament  with  the  same  dates  in  other  lands,  we  find 
that  the   ^ew  Testament  in  Korea  was  completed  a 


122  The  Call  of  Korea 

little  sooner  than  even  in  Japan.  In  addition,  it 
must  not  he  forgotten,  that  it  takes  considerable  time 
to  decide  on  the  best  translations,  and  with  the  origi- 
nal versions  in  hand,  it  has  been  the  effort  of  the  com- 
mittee to  give  as  near  as  possible  an  exact  translation 
of  the  original  Hebrew  and  Greek  in  the  best  idio- 
matic, every-daj  Korean. 

The  pressure  of  the  evangelistic  work,  and  the 
enforced  absence  of  translators,  owing  to  sickness, 
have,  of  necessity,  much  delayed  the  work,  and  yet  the 
permanent  Isew  Testament  has  been  issued,  and  of 
the  Old  Testament  Genesis,  1st  and  2d  Samuel, 
Psalms,  Proverbs,  and  Ecclesiastes.  Individual  work 
has  been  finished  on  Exodus,  1st  and  2d  Kings,  and 
Isaiah.  By  individual  work  is  meant  that  speci- 
fied books  are  assigned  to  different  members  of  the 
Board  for  the  preparation  of  the  first  translation  and 
these  are  then  brought  before  the  whole  Board,  and  in 
session  carefully  worked  over,  verse  by  verse.  On 
account  of  the  press  of  the  work  and  the  crying  needs 
of  the  Church,  these  individual  versions  have  been 
at  times  printed  for  temporary  use,  to  be  withdrawn 
at  once  on  the  appearance  of  the  Board's  authorized 
version. 

It  is  noteworthy  that  self-support  principles  have 
in  part  been  carried  out  here,  both  in  sale  of  Scrip- 
tures and  in  colportage,  and  it  has  been  the  aim  of  the 
Sale  of  missionary    to   keep    the    price    of    the 

Scripture  Scripture  slightly  above  the  cost  of  pro- 

duction— of  course  not  reckoning  the  cost  of  trans- 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         123 

lation — and  not  to  sell  them  below  cost,  and  we  find 
that  the  native,  on  his  low  wage-rate,  is  so  eager  to 
buy  the  Bible,  even  at  a  cost  of  from  twenty  to  fifty 
cents,  that  in  the  spring  of  1906,  when  a  new  edition 
of  20,000  copies  was  ordered,  they  were  sold  out 
before  a  word  was  printed. 

The  Nevius  system  and  its  adoption  by  the  Mis- 
sions has  certainly  worked  well  in  Korea,  and  seems 
to  have  developed  a  remarkable  sturdiness  and  activ- 
ity among  the  members.  ^N'ot  only  have  they  proven 
themselves  generous  almost  to  the  extreme  when  it 
comes  to  subscriptions  for  church  buildings,  and  for 
evangelistic  and  educational  efforts,  as  well  as  for 
foreign  Missions,  but  this  zeal  for  the  work  has  shown 
itself  in  days  of  service  pledged — a  custom  which,  I 
believe,  is  peculiar  to  Korea.  At  the  large  classes  and 
meetings,  not  only  are  collections  of  money  received, 
but  an  opportunity  is  given  for  individuals  among  the 
laity  to  pledge  a  specified  number  of  days  which  they 
will  give  to  active  evangelistic  work  during  the  fol- 
lowing year,  and  of  course  such  days  are  to  be  in  ad- 
dition to  any  regular  or  Sabbath  work. 

Of  course,  all  are  not  free  to  give  any  entire  days 
of  labor,  but  those  who  are,  such  as  artisans,  who  are 
employed  by  the  day  or  week,  heads  of  firms,  and 
those  whose  time  is  more  or  less  at  their  own  control, 
will  pledge  from  one  to  sometimes  four,  five,  and 
even  six  weeks  for  specified  work  of  this  kind.  At  a 
recent  class  in  Seoul,  where  there  were  probably  some 
two  or  three  hundred  people,  enough  days  were  thus 


124  The  Call  of  Korea 

pledged  to  total  up  six  years'  work  of  one  man.  Of 
course,  where  the  classes  are  larger  than  these  in 
Seoul,  the  total  of  days  given  will  be  correspondingly 
increased.  All  this  work  is  under  the  direction  and 
guidance  of  the  missionaries  and  helpers  in  charge 
of  the  district,  but  in  a  peculiar  way  has  it  been  dem- 
onstrated in  Korea  that  from  the  very  start  the 
growth  of  the  Church  has  been  due  to  their  "laymen's 
movement" 

Another  salient  feature  in  Missions  has  been  the 

co-operation   between   the   various   bodies    engaged. 

„         ^.        Almost  immediately  on  the   arrival  of 

Co-oijeration  '' 

of  Missions  each  new  Presbyterian  Mission,  advances 
were  made  so  that  never  could  it  be  claimed  that  two 
Presbyterian  Churches  were  working  separately  in 
Korea,  and  to-day,  while  there  are  four  Presbyterian 
Boards,  ecclesiastically  they  are  one,  and  have  just 
taken  the  first  real  steps  towards  a  self-governing, 
native  Church  in  the  organization  of  a  Presbytery 
for  the  Church  of  Jesus  in  Korea. 

The  two  Methodist  Churches  are  also  working  in 
harmony  and  in  theological  instruction  in  one  insti- 
tution. A  further  step  toward  union  has  been  suc- 
cessfully made  in  some  stations  where  the  Presby- 
terians and  the  Methodists  have  united  in  medical 
and  educational  work,  and,  as  was  above  noted,  in 
the  religious  press. 

Steps  are  also  under  way,  looking  toward  the 
establishment  of  a  union  publishing  house.  Some  of 
us  look  forward  to  even  more  extended  and  perfect 


Forms  and  Methods  of  Work         125 

union  than  this,  and  we  hope  that  the  forms  and 
methods  of  mission  work,  here  described,  will  result 
in  our  seeing,  even  during  this  generation,  the  Her- 
mit jSTation  Christianized,  a  self-supporting  and  self- 
governing  Church  of  Korea. 

It  seems  to  me  that  I  can  see  plainly  before  me 
to-day  a  new  Korea — a  nation  emancipated,  com- 
pletely emancipated,  politically,  intellectually,  spirit- 
ually, from  a  thraldom  of  misrule,  ignorance,  and 
superstition — a  Christian  Korea. 

I  see,  in  the'  future,  schools.  Christian  in  teaching 
— in  teachers — in  esprit  de  corps — in  every  town 
and  village,  with  academies  and  high  schools  in  the 
principal  cities,  and  in  every  city  of  the  land  self- 
supporting  Christian  hospitals. 

I  see  an  effective  corps  of  women  evangelists,  Bible 
readers,  deaconesses,  ministering  to  the  suffering  and 
bringing  light  and  cheer  to  the  dying — here  and 
there,  all  over  the  land,  institutions  of  mercy,  giving 
practical  illustration  of  the  love  of  Christ. 

I  have  a  vision  of  Christian  homes.  Christian  vil- 
lages. Christian  rulers,  and  a  Christian  government; 
and  guiding  and  influencing  it  all,  I  see  an  organized 
Church,  with  a  competent,  well-trained,  thoroughly 
consecrated  native  ministry — a  united,  non-sec- 
tarian Church  of  Christ,  where  there  are  neither 
Methodists,  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Jew  nor 
Greek,  Barbarian,  Scythian,  bond  nor  free,  circum- 
cised nor  uncircumcised,  but  Christ  is  all  in  all. 

I  see  this  nation,  reaching  out  strong,  glad  arms  of 


126  The  Call  of  Korea 

influence^ — to  China  on  the  one  hand  and  to  Japan 
on  the  other,  softening  the  prejudices  and  conserva- 
tism of  the  one,  and  steadying  the  faith  of  the  other ; 
the  three  joining  the  great  circle  of  Christian  nations 
who  praise  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever,  and  hail 
Jesus  King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords. 


THE  PAST  AND  PEESENT  OF  MISSI0:N'S 
m  KOKEA 

THE  past  of  Missions  in  Korea  can  be  told  in 
comparatively  few  words,  unless  we  include 
the  work  done  by  the  Romanists  and  carried 
on  for  one  hundred  years  before  Protestant  Mission 
work  systematically  began  in  the  peninsula.  In  the 
year  1Y82,  some  Koreans,  having  secured  j,^j  ^  ^ 
Chinese  books  that  told  of  Christianity,  Cathoho  work 
sent  to  Pekin  to  inquire  further.  There,  in  1783, 
the  first  Korean  was  baptized  and  named  Peter. 
Two  hundred  years  previous  to  this,  Romanist  mis- 
sionaries, following  in  the  wake  of  the  Japanese 
army,  had  administered  the  sacraments  to  the  Japa- 
nese who  professed  a  faith  in  Christ,  but  we  find  no 
record  of  a  result  of  any  seed-sowing  which  may  have 
been  done  among  the  Koreans. 

Peter,  who  was  baptized  in  1783,  was  seized, 
thrown  into  jail,  and  suffered  martyrdom  in  1791. 
Others,  nevertheless,  sought  baptism.  Prominent 
among  them,  were  Paul  and  Jacques  Kim,  who  were 
extremely  active  in  spreading  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  so  that  in  the  first  ten  years  after  the  baptism 

127 


128  The  Call  of  Korea 

of  Peter,  it  is  estimated  that  there  were  over  four 
thousand  followers  of  Christ  among  the  Koreans. 
The  leaders,  following  what  seemed  to  be  the  indica- 
tions of  such  books  as  they  had,  established  a  full 
hierarchy  for  themselves,  and  at  the  first  opportunity 
which  offered  purchased  for  one  of  their  number  a 
position  with  the  embassy  to  Pekin,  that  they  might 
secure  more  books,  report  what  they  were  doing,  and 
get  instructions.  Here  they  were  carefully  taught 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  system  and  in  what  points 
they  had  erred  from  it,  were  given  crosses,  rosaries, 
and  tracts,  and  instructed  as  to  the  preparation  of 
wine  from  grapes,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  arrival  of 
a  priest  when  he  should  come,  but  were  forced  to  re- 
turn alone. 

A  Chinese  priest  was  unable  to  enter  before  1794. 
As  was  natural,  the  new  religion  met  with  much  oppo- 
sition.    Destruction    of    the     ancestral 
Peraeontiona  , ,  ,        .  ,      .1     , 

tablets,  and  the  announcement  that 
Christians  could  not  worship  their  ancestors,  seemed 
to  the  Koreans  striking  at  the  very  foimdation  of 
their  moral  system.  Persecutions  early  broke  out, 
and  the  history  of  the  work  of  this  Church  in  Korea 
is  a  record  of  almost  continued  persecution  from  the 
year  1800  to  1866. 

The  first  general  persecution  arose  in  1801,  and 
while  they  have  been  almost  continuous  up  to  1866, 
they  have  broken  out  with  more  persistent  vigor  at 
times,  notably  in  1826  and  1839. 

As  might  be  expected,  some  were  not  able  to  stand 


Missions  in  Korea  129 

the  persecution,  and  recanted,  but  hundreds,  perhaps 
thousandsj  willingly  gave  their  lives  rather  than  deny 
Christ. 

Most  of  them  met  their  death  outside  the  little  west 
gate,  and  on  the  hill  not  far  from  this  site  a  Roman 
Catholic  Church  has  since  been  erected.  Efforts 
were  made  from  time  to  time  by  French  missionaries 
to  enter  the  land,  but  they  were  unable  to  do  so  until 
the  year  1835.  As  has  ever  been  the  history  of  the 
Church,  these  very  persecutions,  by  the  scattering  of 
the  people  and  the  brave  confession  of  the  martyrs, 
simply  tended  to  more  widespread  diffusion  of  the 
faith  and  the  increase  of  the  number  of  Christians. 

At  first  secretly,  but  since  the  opening  of  Korea 
by  treaty  more  publicly,  their  work  has  been  steadily 
pushed  forward  until,  in  1901,  the  reported  number 
of  Roman  Catholic  Christians  was  over  42,000. 

Of  course,  in  Korea,  this  Church  follows  the  same 
methods  of  church  work  and  enumeration  as  else- 
where. A  formal  adherence  will  warrant  baptism, 
and  all  baptized  infants  are  included,  so  that  these 
numbers  will  represent  many  who  might  not  be 
reckoned  even  as  adherents  by  the  Protestants. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  past  of  mission  work  in 
Korea,  on  the  part  of  the  Protestants,  is  nothing,  but 
in  treating  of  the  same,  we  must  not  j.^j  protgg. 
omit  to  mention  the  work  done  by  Gutz-  t*^*  'fforts 
laff,  Ross,  and  others,  and  the  attempt  ^^^^>  1832 
made  by  Thomas.  As  early  as  1832,  the  intrepid 
Prussian  pioneer  missionary  Gutzlaff  landed,  and 


130  The  Call  of  Korea 

spent  a  month  on  the  island  in  Basil's  Bay,  disposing 
of  Chinese  Bibles  and  other  books.  Of  the  result  of 
his  work  we  have  no  record. 

The  Eev.  Mr.  Thomas,  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  became  interested  in  the  Koreans,  and  with 
E  T  Mr  ^^^   ^®-^P   ^^  natives   who   had  gone   to 

Thomas,  1866  China,  studied  the  language,  and  applied 
to  the  above  society  to  be  sent  to  Korea  early  in  the 
sixties.  The  London  Mission  at  first  declined,  but 
afterwards  consented  to  his  going,  and  just  as  he  was 
about  to  start  in  1866  he  heard  of  the  prospective  de- 
parture of  the  ill-fated  American  schooner.  General 
Sherman,  and  applying  for  passage,  he  was  offered 
free  transportation  if  he  would  act  as  interpreter. 
This  he  consented  to  do,  but,  with  the  rest  of  the  crew 
of  this  ship,  was  never  heard  of  after  they^  reached 
Korea,  and  it  is  pretty  definitely  established  now 
that  all  on  board  met  with  death  at  the  hands  of  the 
Koreans.  It  is  conceded  by  the  Koreans  that  one  of 
the  people  from  the  Sherman  spoke  Korean,  and 
earnestly  entreated  that  he  might  be  taken  to  Seoul, 
where  he  could  explain  everything,  but  his  entreaties 
were  not  heeded.  As  it  is  said  this  man  claimed  to 
be  a  Mr.  To,  it  was  doubtless  the  Rev.  Mr.  Thomas. 
This  Mr.  Thomas  was  a  Scotchman,  and  the  next  pio- 
neers in  mission  work  to  Korea  to  be  mentioned  are 
also  Scotch;  the  Eevs.  Ross  and  Mclntyre,  of  Muk- 

,  „      den.     These  two  indefatigable  mission- 
Boss  and  Mo-  ° 

Intyie  aries,  noting  the  yearly  passing  back  and 

forth  of  the  Korean  embassy  through  Mukden,  began 


Missions  in  Korea  131 

the  study  of  the  language.  In  1877  Mr.  Ross  was 
able  to  publish  an  English-Korean  primer,  and  he  and 
Mr.  Mclntyre  translated  a  number  of  the  Gospels, 
and  later  the  whole  jS'ew  Testament,  which  was  pub- 
lished by  the  Presbyterian  Mission  Press,  in  Shang- 
hai. Under  the  work  of  these  two  men  not  a  few 
Koreans  professed  faith  in  Christ,  and  commenced 
work  among  the  Korean  villages  on  the  China  side  of 
the  Yalu.  Among  the  early  converts  was  a  Mr. 
Soh  Sang  Ryun.     After  his  conversion  g^j^  3 

he  stayed  a  while,  assisting  in  the  prepa-  ^^^ 
ration  and  printing  of  books,  and  finally  told  Mr. 
Ross  that  he  must  take  a  few  books  and  go  home  and 
tell  his  friends  about  the  Saviour  of  whom  he  had 
learned.  Mr.  Soh  spent  some  little  while  travelling 
around  the  northern  province,  preaching  and  distrib- 
uting books ;  visited  the  capital,  where  he  found  quite 
a  number  who  were  at  least  willing  to  hear  what  he 
had  to  tell;  and  later  settled  with  his  family  at  the 
village  of  Sorai  or  Pine  Stream,  in  the  county  of 
Chang  Yun,  on  the  Yellow  Sea.  Here  he  preached 
and  lived  Christ,  and  laid  the  foundations  for  the 
work  in  this  village  that  has  since  become  world-re- 
nowned. Such  were  the  beginnings  of  mission  work 
in  the  land  of  the  Morning  Calm,  and  while  the 
efforts  put  forth  were  but  meagre  and  feeble, 
the  results  gave  a  promise  of  the  speedy  dawn 
and  morning  light  that  flood  much  of  the  land 
to-day. 

Up  to  the  year  1876  Korea  sedulously  maintained 


132  The  Call  of  Korea 

her  position  as  a  hermit  nation,  positively  forbidding 
Treatment  of    any  intercourse  with   outsiders   on  the 

foreigners  be- 
fore 1878  part  of  her  people,  and  as  far  as  possible 

prohibiting  the  landing  of  all  foreigners  on  her  shores. 
Her  reception  and  treatment  of  those  who  came  had 
been  consistent.  The  Frenchmen  who  were  wrecked . 
from  the  man-of-war  La  Gloire  were  fed  and  treated 
well;  the  priests  and  French  soldiers  who  intruded 
were  beheaded  or  driven  out.  Foreigners  who, 
through  stress  of  weather  or  other  circumstances  be- 
yond their  control,  were  cast  upon  her  shores,  were 
entertained  and  treated  kindly,  but  men  who  tried 
to  force  themselves  upon  the  Korean  people  against 
their  will,  either  by  disguise  or  force  of  arms,  must 
be  treated  as  the  enemies  of  the  land. 

A  like  contrasted  treatment  was  meted^  out  to 
American  sailors  on  the  one  hand,  who,  being  wrecked 
on  the  coast  of  Whang  Hai  Do,  were  fed,  clothed, 
escorted  to  the  Chinese  border,  and  helped  on  their 
way  to  Pekin,  and  the  officers  and  crew  of  the  Sher- 
man, on  the  other  hand,  who  intentionally  intruded 
up  the  Taitong  Kiver,  were  massacred. 

In  the  fall  of  1875,  some  sailors  from  one  of  the 
Japanese   cruisers,   sailing  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Treaty  of         Kangwha,  on  landing  to  obtain  water, 
1876  were  fired  upon,  and,  returning  the  next 

day,  inflicted  punishment  upon  the  Koreans  for 
protecting  their  own  coasts.  Storming  the  fort, 
they  seized  and  held  it  for  two  days.  In  the 
spring   of   the    following   year,    several    vessels   of 


Missions  in  Korea  133 

the  Japanese  fleet,  arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  Seoul, 
with  a  vievt^  to  making  a  treaty,  if  possible,  were 
led  to  consider  that  their  project  might  be  suc- 
cessful when  they  learned  of  the  spirit  mani- 
fested by  the  King  in  the  previous  fall,  when  he  had 
reprimanded  the  soldiers  of  Kangwha  for  having  at- 
tacked unarmed,  peaceably  inclined  people,  and  had 
degraded  and  exiled  the  officer  who  had  been  in 
charge. 

After  considerable  time  consumed  in  settling  pre- 
liminaries, the  first  treaty  was  signed  with  Korea 
in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  several  ports  were  opened 
to  Japanese  trade,  and  a  Korean  embassy  was  estab- 
lished in  Tokyo.  European  powers  endeavored  to  se- 
cure equal  advantages,  but  it  was  not  until  1882  that 
Korea  was  opened  to  the  West,  and  that,  too,  by  Ad- 
miral Shufeldt  (then  Commodore)  of  the  U.  S. 
Kavy.  This  was  certainly  a  signal  for  the  Churches 
of  the  West  to  enter  and  begin  the  propagation  of  the 
Christian  faith.  In  spite  of  this  definite  call,  the 
almost  inexplicable  fact  remains  that  two  years  and 
more  elapsed  before  any  church  was  ready  to  heed  and 
obey.  The  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Churches 
practically  arrived  at  the  same  time ;  the  Methodists 
having  sent  Dr.  McClay,  of  Japan,  to  overlook  the 
field,  preparatory  to  starting  work  in  uethodiats 
1884,  and  the  Presbyterians,  having  ^Jfi^gt^o^/Jte* 
wired  Dr.  H.  X.  Allen,  then  in  China,  to  field 
begin  work  in  September  of  the  same  year.  While 
then,  in  the  matter  of  the  settlement  of  permanent 


134  The  Call  of  Korea 

workers,  the  Presbyterians  were  perhaps  a  few 
months  ahead,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  these  two 
Churches  were  together  in  beginning  work  in  this 
land,  and  have  been  permitted,  hand  in  hand,  to  push 
forward  the  work,  and  to  share  in  the  triumphs  of 
the  Cross.  Dr.  Allen  arrived  in  September,  1884, 
procured  property,  and  settled  in  Seoul,  next  to  the 
U.  S.  Legation. 

It  is  not  easy  to  clearly  mark  out  any  periods  in 
Korean  mission  work.  From  the  very  beginning, 
First  period:  ^^  have  been  permitted  to  see  results, 
wide  seed-sowing  and  the  work  has  been  steadily  progress- 
ing with  an  ever-increasing  momentum  up  to  the  pres- 
ent time.  Nevertheless  the  way  in  which  reenforce- 
ments  and  means  have  been  provided  by  the  Church 
at  home  lends  itself  to  a  division  into  four  periods : 
first,  the  initial  or  preparatory  period;  second,  the 
period  of  expansion;  third,  the  beginning  of  large 
harvests ;  and  fourth,  the  period  of  large  harvest  and 
great  ingathering. 

First,  the  initial  stages  and  beginnings.  The  two 
Churches  beginning  work  in  Korea,  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  and  Presbyterian,  sent  as  their  first 
workers  three  physicians  and  two  clerical  men,  four 
of  whom  were  married,  and  one  single  woman, 
namely :  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Allen,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Appen- 
zeller.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Scranton,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Heron, 
Eev.  H.  G.  Underwood  and  Mrs.  M.  F.  Scranton. 

The  first  step  was  to  learn  the  language,  and  as 
there  were  no  helps  in  English,  the  preparation,  of 


Missions  in  Korea  135 

helps,   grammars,    and   dictionaries   was   absolutely 
necessary. 

As  has  been  noted,  we  early  endeavored  by  every 
possible  means  to  get  in  touch  with  the  Koreans,  and 
while  making  use  of  tracts  and  books  in  the  native 
script,  which  had  been  prepared  in  China  and  Japan 
for  seed-sowing,  we  were  compelled  early  to  attempt 
the  preparation  of  simple  tracts  for  a  more  wide- 
spread work.  While  Messrs.  Eoss  and  Mclntyre  had 
translated  and  published  the  whole  oSTew  Testament, 
we  found  that  there  were  too  many  words  of  Chinese 
derivation  in  this  version  to  make  it  suitable  for  use 
at  the  capital  or  in  the  southern  provinces.  Though 
it  might  be  of  much  service  in  the  extreme  north  and 
among  the  thousands  of  emigrants  who  had  settled 
across  the  Chinese  border,  there  were  altogether  too 
many  Chinese  words  and  derivatives,  not  only  for  the 
common  people,  but  even  for  the  educated,  at  least 
for.  the  capital  and  south  of  it,  and  so  a  new  transla- 
tion had  to  be  undertaken. 

A  reaction  had  set  in  since  the  persecutions  of 
1866,  and  the  general  trend  of  opinion  of  the  court 
and  high  oflBcials  was  that  anyone  who  cared  to 
might  follow  the  new  religion.  The  old  law  of  death 
to  the  Christian  had  never  been  repealed,  but  it 
seemed  plain  that  it  was  not  to  be  enforced.  Still, 
missionaries  and  natives  knew  not  how  far  to  venture, 
and  the  first  converts  in  July  and  the  fall  of  1886 
were  baptized  behind  closed  doors,  and  all,  natives 
and  foreigners,  felt  that  it  was,  perhaps,  at  the  risk 


136  The  Call  of  Korea 

of  their  lives.  A  little  later,  street  services  in  the 
smaller  lanes  and  by-ways  were  undertaken  with  im- 
punity, and  so  larger  buildings  on  the  main  streets 
were  soon  purchased,  where  comparatively  large 
gatherings  were  held.  In  the  homes  of  the  mission- 
aries regular  Sunday  services  were  gradually  devel- 
oped, but  at  the  start,  both  from  lack  of  knowledge 
of  the  language  as  well  as  inability  to  appreciate  on 
the  part  of  the  audience,  such  services  were  very  in- 
formal ;  only  gradually,  as  we  became  more  proficient 
in  the  language,  and  as  our  audiences  were  better  able 
to  appreciate  the  true  idea  of  worship,  did  we  attempt 
to  have  more  formal  services. 

From  time  to  time,  long  itinerating  trips  into  the 
interior  were  undertaken,  sometimes  from  six  hun- 
dred to  one  thousand  miles  for  the  whole  journey, 
and  native  Christians,  most  of  whom  had  learned  the 
truth  in  China,  were  employed  to  distribute  and  sell 
Christian  tracts  and  books.  While  this  was  a  period 
of  wide  seed-sowing,  at  the  same  time  we  were  per- 
mitted to  gather  in  our  first-fruits. 

The  first  converts  were  baptized  in  July  and  Sep- 
tember of  1886.  About  this  time  Mr.  Soh  Sang 
Pjj,^  ^  Ryun  brought  us  word  of  the  good  work 

^^^^  in  the  village  of  Sorai,  where  he  lived, 

and  where  he  said  there  was  a  small  company  of 
Christians,  and  earnestly  entreated  us  to  visit  his 
home  and  oversee  the  work.  This  we  were  unable 
to  do  at  that  time.  In  the  following  spring,  a 
delegation  of  the  Christians  in  this  village  waited 


Missions  in  Korea  137 

upon  us,  seeking  baptism.  They  were  examined  be- 
fore the  whole  Mission,  and  finding  they  had  been 
believers  for  some  years,  and  were  able  to  state  in- 
telligently the  ground  of  their  faith,  the  Mission 
unanimously  decided  that  three  of  them  should  be 
admitted  to  the  Church  by  baptism.  Among  these 
three  was  Mr.  Soh  Kyung  Jo,  the  brother  of  Soh  Sang 
Ryun,  the  man  who  had  been  so  prominent  in  the 
development  of  the  work  in  Whang  Hai  Do,  and  the 
leader  at  Sorai. 

In  the  fall  of  1887,  the  first  itinerating  trip  was 
taken,  and  reached  from  Seoul  through  Song  Do,  So- 
rai, and  Pyeng  Yang  to  Euiju  on  the  Chinese  border. 
At  this  time  it  was  found  there  were  seven  ready  for 
baptism  at  Sorai,  and  the  rite  was  administered  to 
them. 

The  notable  features  of  the  early  days  of  mission 
work  were  the  willing  ear  the  natives  gave  to  the 
missionary  everywhere,  their  kind  treatment  of  him 
as  a  guest  from  abroad,  and  the  freedom,  often  eager- 
ness, with  which  they  purchased  the  books  he  offered, 
and  these  have,  indeed,  continued  to  this  day. 
Throughout  the  whole  of  the  northern  province  it 
seemed  evident  that  the  wide  seed-sowing  that  had 
been  carried  on  from  China,  and  the  books  that  had 
been  circulated,  had  had  their  effect,  and  the  oppor- 
tunities for  effective  work  seemed  more  numerous  in 
that  direction  than  elsewhere.  While,  therefore, 
natives  were  employed  to  distribute  and  sell  books  in 
other  parts  of  the  land,  the  efforts  of  the  missionaries 


rjS  .  The  Call  of  Korea 

were  mainly  directed  thither,  and  their  trips  were 
almost  entirely  toward  the  north.  A  most  promising 
work  was  opening  up  at  Euiju,  and  at  one  time  there 
were  gathered  at  this  city  from  the  surrounding  vil- 
lages and  counties  men  to  the  number  of  over  one 
hundred  who  asked  to  be  received  into  full  mem- 
bership. 

Of  this  number  some  thirty,  who  had  been  believ- 
ing for  over  a  year,  received  baptism  in  the  spring  of 
1889.  This  infant  Church,  however,  was  not  visited 
again  for  two  years,  and  we  feared  much  that  these 
babes  in  Christ  might  be  led  astray,  but  we  were  re- 
joiced to  hear  in  letters  received  by  the  writer  from 
Messrs.  Gale*  and  Moffett,  in  1891,  of  the  good  con- 
dition of  the  work  at  that  date,  after  so  long  a  period 
of  neglect. 

Other  missionaries,  at  a  later  da,te,  visiting  this 
section,  were  unable  to  find  many  of  those  who  had 
been  received,  and  these  very  same  men  later  spoke 

♦  March  24,  1891,  Mr.  Gale  writes :  "I  am  surprised  to  find 
the  result  of  your  work  as  seen  in  Euiju  and  the  surrounding 
villages.  The  people  here  are  wonderfully  awakened.  We 
have  not  seen  all  the  baptized  members  yet,  but  those  we  have 
seen  are  fine.  Your  accoiints  of  Euiju  to  me  have  been  more 
than  realized."  Under  the  same  date,  from  the  same  place.  Dr. 
Moffett  wrote  :  "  I  now  understand  why  you  laid  so  much  'em- 
phasis upon  the  desirability  of  opening  this  place.  It  makes  my 
heart  glad  to  see  the  interest  these  people  have  in  the  Gospel  and 
with, what  freedom  they  talk  of  it.  How  much  work  they  have 
done!  I  feel  more  enthusiastic  over  the  work  here  than  I  have 
over  anything  yet  seen."  On  May  9th  from  Gensan  he  writes  : 
' '  I  am  more  than  ready  to  agree  with  all  ydu  have  said  about  the 
importance  of  opening  Euiju  first  of  all." 


y 


Missions  in  Korea  139 

more  discouragingly  about  the  work  in  this  section. 
But  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  people  gathered 
at  this  time  were  not  chiefly  from  this  city,  but  from 
the  surrounding  villages  and  counties,  and  some  from 
long  distances;  that  they  were  left  so  long  unshep- 
herded;  that  no  accurate  record  was  kept  of  their 
residences;  and  that  Koreans  move  so  freely  from 
point  to  point,  it  is  scarcely  to  be  wondered  at  that, 
several  years  after,  little  or  no  trace  could  be  found 
of  this  first  work,  by  parties  who  made  only  a  brief 
stay. 

I  have  gone  into  this  with  some  particularity,  be- 
cause of  the  fact  that  the  steadfastness  of  the  Koreans 
has  been  characteristic,  and  I  have  been  desirous  of 
showing  that  this  has  been  general,  as  a  feature  of 
the  converts,  from  the  first. 

In  1890,  the  end  of  the  first  period,  there  were  in 
all  Korea,  connected  with  both  churches,  over  one 
hundred  converts,  and  when  this,  the  work  of  only 
the  first  five  years,  was  compared  with  the  beginnings 
in  other  lands,  it  augured  well  for  future  progress, 
and  showed  plainly  that  the  Koreans  were  not  so 
much  an  irreligious  people,  when  first  found,  as  a  peo- 
ple without  a  religion.  As  was  the  case  in  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  so  here,  God  had  evidently  prepared  the 
way  for  the  true  faith  by  shaking  their  trust  in  their 
old  religions. 

Second  Period — that  of  expansion: 

The  receptivity  manifested  by  the  Koreans  during 
the  first  five  years  of  work  was  certainly  a  call  to  the 


140  The  Call  of  Korea 

Church  for  large  reenforcements.  The  Presbyterian 
Second  period:  and  Methodist  Churches,  realizing  this 
new  stations  need  at  about  this  time,  added  consid- 
erably to  their  forces,  and  a  number  of  other  churches 
sent  workers.  The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Vic- 
toria, in  Australia,  had  early  been  led  to  start  work 
in  Korea,  and  had  sent  Mr.  and  Miss  Davies,  of  Mel- 
bourne, to  begin  the  work  and  organize  the  Mission 
in  1889.  The  life  of  this  enthusiastic,  highly- 
gifted  and  holy  man,  one  of  the  most  invaluable 
missionaries  who  ever  came  to  Korea,  was  sacrificed 
to  smallpox  the  winter  following,  and  his  sister 
returned. 

The  Australians  sent  substitutes  who  arrived  after 
1900,  and  came  in  the  second  period,  that  of  expan- 
sion.    Settling  in  Fusan,  where  Mr.  Da- 
Anatralians;      .  ° 

Pnsan  yies  had  died,  as  the  headquarters  for 

their  Mission,  they  have  been  active  in  this  southern 
province,  have  a  large  number  of  village  churches  and 
a  flourishing  girls'  school  at  Pusan. 

One  of  the  earliest  additions  to  our  forces  in  the 
second  period  came  from  the  Church  of  England. 
Chuiohof  The  Society  for  the  Propagation  of 
^^  '  the-  Gospel,  having  had  its  attention 
drawn  to  Korea,  Rev.  Dr.  Corfe  was  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Korea,  and  with  Dr.  Wiles  and  a  goodly 
number  of  young  men,  arrived  and  established  this 
Mission. 

Hospital  work  in  Seoul  under  Dr.  Wiles,  and  in 
Chemulpo  under  Dr.  Landis,  was  early  undertaken, 


Missions  in  Korea  141 

but  the  balance  of  the  period  was  naturally  spent  in 
learning  the  language  and  laying  the  foundations  for 
wider  work. 

The  interest  manifested  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  North,  naturally  spread  to  the  southern 
Church,  and  a  number  of  young  men  applying  to 
their  Foreign  Missionary  Committee,  and  the  funds 
being  provided,  Messrs.  Junkin,  Reynolds,  Tate,  and 
Johnson  arrived  in  Korea  in  the  fall  of  1892.  After 
consultation  with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  North,  it 
was  decided  that  the  greatest  good  for  Korea  would 
result  if  the  southwestern  section  of  the  country 
were  taken  for  their  field. 

Early  in  this  period  the  Rev.  Mr.  McKenzie,  of 
Nova  Scotia,  who  was  laboring  as  a  missionary  in 
Labrador,   had   his   attention   drawn   to  Canadian 

Korea,  and,  although  the  Presbyterian  Presbyterians 
Church,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  under  which 
he  was  working,  wished  to  send  him  as  its  agent,  he 
felt  called  to  go  out  as  an  independent  missionary, 
trusting  entirely  in  God  for  his  support,  without  any 
visible  human  agency  to  depend  upon. 

He  was  wonderfully  blessed  in  regard  to  means 
placed  at  his  disposal,  and  arrived  in  the  fall  of  1893. 
After  a  very  short  time,  most  of  which  was  spent  in 
the  village  of  Sorai,  where  he  made  a  great  im- 
pression by  his  devotion,  self-sacrifice,  and  love  for 
the  people,  in  June,  of  the  summer  of  1895,  he  died 
after  a  severe  illness. 

His  life  and  death  had  such  an  effect  on  the  Cana- 


142  The  Call  of  Korea 

dian  Church,  that  thej  decided  to  establish  a  Mission, 
and,  although  their  workers  did  not  arrive  till  after 
the  close  of  this  second  period,  the  real  date  for  the 
beginning  of  the  work  of  this  Church  should  be  from 
the  arrival  of  Mr.  McKenzie. 

Almost  at  the  close  of  this  period,  which  we  have 

somewhat  arbitrarily  settled  as  from  1890  to  1895, 

Southern  the  American  Methodist  Church,  South, 

Methodist 

Churoh  sent  the  Rev.  C.  F.  Reid  and  one  of  their 

bishops  to  plan  for  the  opening  of  a  Mission  of  their 
Church  in  Korea.  Among  the  refugees  who  were 
forced  to  flee  from  Korea  at  the  time  of  the  emeute 
in  1884,  had  been  a  young  interpreter  in  the  Ameri- 
can Legation  called  Yun  Chi  Ho.  Escaping  into 
Shanghai,  he  had  been  received  into  the  Anglo-Chi- 
nese College  under  the  care  of  the  Southern  Metho- 
dist Church,  and  after  his  conversion,  showing  great 
promise  as  a  student,  he  had  been  sent  by  them  to 
America,  and  had  graduated  from  Vanderbilt  Uni- 
versity in  IN'ashviUe,  Tenn.  In  the  political  kalei- 
doscope it  had  been  possible  for  him  to  return,  and  his 
marked  ability  being  manifested,  he  had  steadily 
arisen  to  the  post  of  vice-cabinet  minister,  and,  as 
such,  he  had  written  to  his  old  teacher,  Dr.  Reid,  ask- 
ing that  the  Methodist  Church,  South,  establish  a  mis- 
sion and  mission  schools  in  the  city  of  Song  Do,  the 
residence  of  one  of  his  uncles.  While  then  certain 
mission  buildings  of  this  Church  have  been  erected  in 
Seoul,  the  main  centre  for  its  work  is  at  Song  Do, 
and  its  country  field  embraces  the  territory  adjacent 


Missions  in  Korea  143 

to,  and  included  by,  the  three  cities,  Song  Do,  Gensan 
or  Won  San,  and  Seoul. 

In  considering  these  two  periods  of  the  work  in  this 
land,  we  must  not  omit  to  consider  the  able  assist- 
ance rendered,  and  good  work  done,  by  several  inde- 
pendent and  semi-independent  organizations  that 
have  been  at  work  in  Korea.  Towards  the  close  of 
the  first  period  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Toronto,  and  a 
number  of  individuals  in  that  city,  had  had  their  at- 
tention drawn  toward  Korea,  and  had  manifested 
their  interest  in  the  work  by  sending  out  the  Kev.  J. 
S.  Gale  (now  in  connection  with  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  iSTorth),  the  Eev.  Mr.  Harkness,  and 
Malcom  C.  Fenwick  (now  the  head  of  the  Korean 
Itinerant  Mission) . 

The  colleges  and  universities  of  Canada  had  their 
attention  turned  toward  Korea,  and  sent  out,  and  for 
some  time  supported,  Rev.  Dr.  Hardy  (now  of  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church  in  Won  San) .  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  members  of  the  Eev.  Dr.  Gordon's 
Church,  becoming  interested  in  Korea,  organized  the 
Ella  W.  Thwing  Memorial  Mission,  sending  out  as  its 
agents  Rev.  E.  W.  Pauling  and  Mr.  Steadman  and 
several  ladies.  Mr.  Steadman  has  since  gone  to 
Japan  under  the  Baptist  Mission,  and  Mr.  Pauling, 
having  returned  and  taken  a  charge  in  Amer- 
ica, the  work  of  this  Mission  has,  to  a  large  ex- 
tent, become  part  of  the  Korean  Itinerant  Mission. 
While  many  of  these  brethren  are  no  longer  with 
us,  their  earnestness  of  purpose,  their  intense  spir- 


144  The  Call  of  Korea 

ituality,  and  their  fervor  have  left  their  mark  on 
those  foreigners  and  Koreans  who  came  in  contact 
with  them. 

Third  Period — that  of  the  beginnings  of  large 
harvests : 

The  periods  thus  far  have  naturally  fallen  into 

fives,  from  1885  to  1890 ;  from  1890  to  1895 ;  and  that 

Third  period!    which  runs  from  1895  to  1900  marked 

Thebegimuiigs  i        i         i        i       •       •  <•      i        • 

of  largo  harvests  verj  clearly  the  beginnings  oi  the  in- 
gathering as  a  result  of  the  widespread  seed-sowing. 
The  previous  periods  had  shown  plainly,  as  has  been 
said,  the  marked  receptivity  of  the  Koreans,  and  had 
led  us  to  expect  that  ere  long  rich  harvests  would  be 
gathered.  The  main  seed-sowing  had  been  done, 
both  from  China  and  from  Seoul,  toward  the  North- 
em  provinces,  and  here  were  harvested,  not  only  the 
first-fruits  of  this  great  ingathering,  but  in  the  main 
the  results  in  that  section  have  so  overshadowed  any- 
thing in  the  South  that  a  proper  account  of  this 
period  would  seem  largely  a  simple  account  of  the 
work  of  the  Northern  Stations. 

Messrs.  Lee  and  Moffett,  and  later  Dr.  Hall  and 
Mr.  Noble,  had  settled  down  in  the  city  of  Pyeng 
Yang,  commonly  called  "the  worst  city  in  Korea," 
and  at  first,  as  Mrs.  Bishop  in  her  book  remarks, 
"Christian  Missions  were  unsuccessful  in  Pyeng 
Yang.  It  was  a  very  rich  and  very  immoral  city. 
More  than  once  it  turned  out  some  of  the  mission- 
aries, and  rejected  Christianity  with  much  hostility. 
In    six    years    the    Presbyterians    only    numbered 


Missions  in  Korea  145 

twenty-eight  converts,  and  the  Methodist  Mission 
■was  broken  up  for  a  time." 

As,  however,  noted  in  the  previous  chapter,  after 
the  battle  of  Pyeng  Yang,  in  1894,  and  the  close  of 
the  Japan-China  war,  a  change  came  in  this  great 
city,  and,  consequently,  in  the  surrounding  country. 
Instead  of  meeting  with  hostility,  the  missionaries 
were  accorded  the  placa  they  had  won  in  the  hearts 
of  the  populace.  At  a  time  when  it  was  hard  to  know 
upon  whom  one  could  rely,  it  was  soon  found  that  the 
missionary  could  be  trusted.  This  friendly  attitude 
on  the  part  of  the  people  was  at  once  followed  by  a 
large  increase  in  the  number  of  inquirers,  and  a  con- 
sequent proportionate  increase  in  the  number  of  those 
admitted  as  catechumens,  who,  after  a  year's  proba- 
tion, might  be  received  into  the  Church.  The 
developments  at  this  time  may  then  be  largely 
gauged  by  the  reports  of  the  next  four  years  from 
this  section. 

It  might  be  well,  at  this  point,  to  quote  from  the 
Annual  Report  of  the  Pyeng  Yang  Station  at  the 
close  of  this  period,  which  will  show  what  is  meant 
by  the  term  "self-support." 

"Again,  this  year,  advance  has  been  made  toward 
self-support.  By  the  term  self-support,  we  designate 
the  goal  toward  which  our  efforts  are  directed,  viz., 
the  entire  support  of  the  Korean  Church  by  the  peo- 
ple, when  in  addition  to  erecting  their  church  build- 
ings, and  providing  current  expenses  as  they  now  do, 
they  shall,  after  men  are  ready  for  ordination  to  the 


146  The  Call  or  Korea 

ministry,  also  furnish  the  salaries  of  their  native 
pastors. 

"This  year,  as  last  year,  all  churches  and  chapels 
brought  to  completion  during  the  year  were  erected 
without  foreign  aid  and  all  churches  have  provided 
their  current  expenses.  As  steps  in  advancement 
this  year  we  note; — that  more  helpers,  men  who, 
though  unordained,  are  working  as  pastors  on  circuits 
among  the  country  churches,  are  now  being  provided 
for,  only  six  out  of  nineteen  receiving  aid  from 
foreign  funds ;  and  that  a  large  number  of  schools  are 
being  supported,  only  five  out  of  thirty-five  coimtry 
schools  receiving  foreign  aid,  and  this  to  the  amount 
of  one  half  and  less  of  the  expense  incurred." 

!N'ow  let  us  turn  to  a  few  of  the  figures.  In  1895 
there  were  in  the  city  of  Pyeng  Yang  20  church 
members;  in  the  province  adjacent  73  baptized  per- 
sons; and  for  the  whole  territory  four  church  build- 
ings wholly  or  partially  completed.  In  1896,  150 
were  added  to  the  Church,  and  the  preaching  places 
had  increased  to  22.  In  1897  the  report  is  377 
church  members  with  the  startling  figures  of  1,723 
catechumens,  69  preaching  places,  and  14  new  church 
buildings  provided  by  the  people. 

In  1898  the  report  was  for  the  past  year  697  added 
to  the  Church,  making  a  total  membership  for  this 
section  of  1,050  meeting  together  in  121  self-support- 
ing churches,  with  3,440  enrolled  catechumens,  who 
had  built  during  the  year  44  new  church  buildings 
and  had  contributed  $1,438.00  (TJ.  S.  money).    In 


Missions  in  Korea  147 

1899  we  have  still  greater  additions,  giving  us  1,182 
church  members,  meeting  in  153  self-supporting 
churches  with  7,433  adherents,  who  had  built  during 
the  year  38  new  church  buildings  and  had  contributed 
$1,890.96  (U.  S.  money). 

In  connection  with  Seoul  Station  there  were  105 
regular  meeting  places,  1,102  communicants,  2,800 
adherents,  and  during  this  period  separate  stations 
were  set  off  at  Tai  Ku  and  Pyeng  Yang.  These  were 
indeed  to  the  missionaries  and  to  the  Church  at  home 
stirring  times,  and  as  far  as  it  was  able  the  Church  in 
America  tried  to  meet  the  opportunity  by  sending  re- 
enforcements. 

The  figures  that  have  been  given  are  not  complete 
and  do  not  represent  the  entire  work  of  all  the  Mis- 
sions, but  they  were  startling  enough  to  call  forth  loud 
doxologies  in  both  Korea  and  America. 

Much  as  we  were  rejoiced  by  the  results  during  the 
third  period,  and  much  as  from  them  we  were  led  to 
hope  for  the  future,  the  results  during  the 
few  years  of  the  new  century  have  far 
exceeded  the  brightest  dreams  and  hopes  of  the  most 
optimistic  of  our  number.  Certainly  such  results  as 
these  called  loudly  for  added  workers  and  for  zeal  on 
the  part  of  the  home  Church,  and  had  the  response 
been  in  any  way  proportionate  to  the  fruits  that  had 
been  gathered  in,  the  tale  that  is  told  to-day  would 
have  been  more  than  doubled. 

The  following  table  of  only  partial  statistics  will 
give  some  idea  of  the  growth. 


148 


The  Call  of  Korea 


S 

C  CO 

a 
a 

"3 

S 

1 

i 

^ 

0 

J3 

2S 

a 
a 

0 

1 

1 

(H 

0 

fi^ 

0 

-< 

5 

1901 

216 

284 

4,699 

16,437 

$5,323.02 

1902-3 

253 

329 

6,395 

21,664 

7,475.79 

1903-4 

267 

353 

7,916 

23,356 

8,222.06 

1904-5 

321 

470 

9,761 

30,136 

13.528.67 

This  table,  partial  though  it  be,  confronts  us  with 
astonishing  figures  and  makes  us  realize  that  he  who 
said  that  Korea  was  "the  missionary  marvel  of  the 
age"  was  certainly  not  far  wrong.  For  the  past  year 
we  have  been  able  to  get  statistics  from  other 
churches,  giving  us  a  total  of  642  churches,  1,045 
meeting  places,  18,964  communicants,  99,300  cate- 
chumens, with  a  total  contribution  of  $53,197.85. 
Making  a  conservative  computation  from  known  facts 
as  to  the  work  of  the  other  denominations,  we  are  safe 
in  saying  that  there  are  in  Korea  to-day  over  1,000 
self-supporting  churches,  with  a  communicant  mem- 
bership of  almost  30,000  and  with  over  120,000  ad- 
herents, and  that  they  have  contributed  during  the 
past  year  nearly  $80,000  TJ.  S.  gold. 

These  few  figures  will  certainly  give  us  some  little 
idea  of  the  work  that  is  in  progress  in  that  land,  and 
while  we  may  fully  realize  that  a  good  beginning  has 
been  made,  let  us  not  fall  into  the  mistake  of  thinking 
that  the  work  is  all  done.  Certainly,  with  120,000 
adherents,  there  is  a  noble  army  to  be  led  in  winning 
the  whole  nation,  but  they  must  be  provided  with 
leaders,  and  how  far  can  the  small  force  at  present  on 


Missions  in  Korea  149 

the  field  cope  with  these  needs  ?  In  addition  to  this, 
120,000  is  a  goodlv  number,  but  we  must  bear  in 
mind  that  given  the  thirteen  millions  of  people  for 
the  land,  there  are  12,880,000  yet  to  be  reached,  and 
it  behooves  God's  people  to  recognize  the  open  door 
that  is  placed  before  them  and  take  advantage  of  this 
opportunity. 

'Not  only  is  this  so,  but  in  a  marvellous  way  the 
hearts  of  the  people  have  gone  out  to  the  Americans 
and  the  American  missionaries  in  that 
land.  The  Korean,  from  even  the  Em-  ^^^  ^ 
peror  and  the  highest  official  down  to  the  lowest 
coolies,  trusts  the  American  and  the  American  mis- 
sionaries. Certainly  the  open  door  is  plain  before 
the  Church,  and  in  a  marvellous  way  through  His 
providential  workings  God  is  saying,  "Go  work  to-day 
in  my  vineyard." 

To  cope  with  this  rapidly  growing  work,  the  Mis- 
sions in  Korea  have  less  than  60  clerical  missionaries, 
10  male  physicians,  4  lady  physicians,  and  only  32 
other  single  ladies  to  carry  on  the  work  among  the 
women.* 

*  The  Directory  of  Protestant  Missions  In  China,  Japan,  and 
Korea,  published  1907,  gives  the  following  figures  : 

Clerical  Male  Lady       Other  Single     Wives  of 

Missionaries.  Physicians.    Physicians.       Ladies.      Missionaries. 

49  10  4  32  53 

Since  the  publication  of  the  above  the  following  additions  have 
been  made : 

Clerical  Male  Other 

Workers.  Physicians.  Single  Ladies. 

7  13 


150  The  Call  of  Korea 

When  it  is  remembered  that  the  newness  of  the 
work  and  the  necessary  care  that  must  be  exercised 
have  not  thus  far  allowed  the  ordination  of  many 
native  pastors,  and  that  the  present  force  would  only 
be  less  than  eighty  pastors  for  more  than  a  thousand 
churches,  and  that  the  yearly  increase  in  membership 
largely  brought  about  by  the  activity  of  the  laity 
would  give  more  than  sufficient  churches  if  this  were 
the  only  work  that  these  eighty  men  had  to  do,  the 
tremendous  need  of  immediate  and  large  reenforce- 
ments  will  be  apparent  to  everyone.  To-day  is 
Korea's  crisis  hour.  To  the  American  Church  in  a 
peculiar  way  has  been  given  the  opportunity  of  win- 
ning this  nation  for  Christ,  and  it  is  for  the  Church 
in  America  to  say  whether  she  will  take  advantage  of 
the  present  opportunity  or  not. 


VI 

THE  WOKK  OF  THE  DE:N'OMI]^rATIONS 

THE  work  that  has  been  done  thus  far  in  Korea 
has  been  in  the  main  shared  bj  the  two  great 
branches  of  the  Church  of  Christ  known  as 
Methodist  and  Presbyterian.  As  has  been  said,  these 
two  almost  simultaneously  started  missions,  and  they 
have  so  shared  the  work  in  many  departments  that  the 
history  of  the  one  cannot  be  told  without  the  history 
of  the  other.  It  is  the  province  of  this  chapter,  how- 
ever, in  a  particular  way  to  deal  with  the  work  of  the 
different  denominations. 

In  February,  1884,  a  friend  of  missions  offered 
the  Presbyterian  Board  six  thousand  dollars  with 
which  to  start  a  Mission  in  Korea  and  early  in  the 
spring  Dr.  J.  W.  Heron  received  his  appointment, 
but  Dr.  H.  N.  AUen  being  in  Shanghai,  and  as,  owing 
to  sickness,  it  was  not  deemed  wise  for  him  to  return 
to  his  former  station  in  China,  the  Board  cabled  to 
him  to  go  straight  to  Korea,  and  he  arrived  there  in 
September  of  that  year.  He  was  joined  the  follow- 
ing spring  (April  5)  by  the  writer,  and  in  June  by 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Heron. 

The  emeute  of  December  5th  to  8th  had  occurred  in 
151 


152  The  Call  of  Korea 

the  previous  year,  and  as  a  result  of  the  good  offices  of 
the  doctor  a  building  was  set  apart  for  the  Royal  Hos- 
pital, which  was  opened  in  February,  1885.  Dr. 
Allen's  services  being  in  constant  requisition  at  the 
palace,  and  her  majesty,  the  Queen,  desirous  to  avail 
herself  of  the  benefits  of  Western  medical  service. 
Miss  Annie  Ellers  was  appointed  and  arrived  in  Seoul 
July,  1886,  to  take  up  her  duties  as  medical  attendant 
upon  the  Queen,  and  received  many  proofs  of  affec- 
tion from  her.  She  continued  to  hold  this  position  till 
her  marriage  to  the  Eev.  D.  A.  Bunker,  soon  after 
which  Miss  Lillias  S.  Horton,  M.D.,  arrived  to  take 
her  place. 

Seoul  was  naturally  the  centre  from  which  the  Mis- 
sion began  its  work,  and  here  at  an  early  date  an 
orphanage  wds  started  and  medical  school  work  inau- 
gurated. -^Miss  Hayden  arriving  about  this  time,  the 
girls'  school,  which  had  been  started  by  Mrs.  Bunker 
with  one  little  orphan  girl,  was  placed  in  her  care. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Mission  was  reenforced 
by  the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  D.  L.  Gifford,  followed  soon 
by  Rev.  S.  A.  Moffett,  Miss  Doty,  and  the  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Baird.  The  possibility  for  a  little  ex- 
pansion now  presenting  itself,  since,  as  has  been 
noted  in  a  previous  chapter,  the  work  toward  the 
north  seemed  to  be  developing  so  well,  the  southern 
port  of  Fusan  was  fixed  upon  as  the  site  for  a  new 
station,  and  Mr.  Baird  and  Dr.  Hugh  Brown,  who  had 
arrived  about  this  time,  were  sent  to  open  work  here. 
Dr.  H.  N".  AUen  leaving  for  America  in  1888,  and 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        153 

the  Mission  suffering  the  loss  of  Dr.  J.  W.  Heron, 
who  died  in  1890,  Dr.  C.  C.  Vinton  and  wife  came  to 
fill  this  vacancy.  The  following  year  the  Presby- 
terian Board  sent  out  six  men,  and  the  Mission  was 
ready  for  a  further  extension  and  Won  San  was 
opened.  Later,  on  the  arrival  of  the  Canadian  Pres- 
byterian Church,  this  whole  station,  with  its  plant 
and  native  workers,  was  handed  over  to  them  and 
placed  under  their  care. 

There  have,  naturally,  from  time  to  time,  been 
changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  Seoul  station,  but  as 
at  present  constituted,  the  laborers  and 

.  ...  Seonl  Station 

their  work  m  this  station  are  as  follows : 

The  city  evangelization  is  under  the  care  of  Messrs. 
J.  S.  Gale,  C.  A.  Clark,  and  H.  G.  Underwood,  and  is 
carried  on  through  three  churches  with  their  missions 
and  sub-stations:  the  Sai  Mun  An  or  West  Gate 
Church,  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Korea,  be- 
ing under  the  care  of  Mr.  Underwood,  the  Central 
Church,  under  Mr.  Clark,  and  the  Yun  Mote  Kole  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  city  under  Dr.  Gale. 

The  medical  work  of  the  station  centres  in  Sever- 
ance Hospital  under  the  care  of  Drs.  O.  K.  Avison 
and  J.  W.  Hirst,  who  are  ably  assisted  by 

Mfldic^  work 

Miss  E.  L.  Shields,  a  trained  nurse,  who 
also  has  charge  of  the  nurses'  training  school.  Med- 
ical students  and  native  assistants  are  also  being 
trained  in  this  institution,  many  of  whom  are  able  to 
perform  minor  and  some  major  operations,  and  some 
of  whom  are  almost  ready  for  the  degree  of  M.D. 


154  The  Call  of  Korea 

The  educational  work  of  the  station  consists  of  a 
large  number  of  parochial  primary  schools,  which  are 
Educational     gradually  being  systematized  so   as   to 
'"^  make  them  centre  in  the  John  D.  Wells 

training  school,  which  is  at  present  an  academy  taking 
the  graduates  from  our  primary  schools  through  a 
regular  academic  course.  This  school  is  under  the 
care  of  the  Rev.  E.  H.  Miller,  who,  with  his  wife  and 
other  members  of  the  station,  directs  and  carries  on 
the  instruction  in  this  institution,  i.^ 

Seoul  is  the  centre  for  a  very  large  and  important 
country  work,  which  is  divided  up  among  the  various 
members  of  the  station:  Mr.  Welbon 
looking  after  that  toward  the  north ;  Mr. 
Pieters,  toward  the  south;  Mr.  Underwood,  toward 
the  west.  A  large  part  of  the  southern  work  of  this 
station  is  comprised  in  the  provinces  of  l^orth  and 
South  Chung  Chong,  which  is  centring  round  Chong 
Ju.  Here  Eev.  and  Mrs.  F.  S.  Miller,  together  with 
Mr.  Kegan,  are  living  and  opening  up  the  work. 

In  efforts  to  reach  the  women  and  raise  them  from 
their  present  condition  and  give  them  the  benefits 
„.      ,  that  come  with  Christianity,  the  wives  of 

work  most  of  the  missionaries,  as  well  as  the 

single  ladies,  have  done  their  full  share,  and  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  limits  of  this  little  book  do  not 
allow  us  to  give  the  space  that  their  work  deserves. 
Bible  classes  in  city  and  country  have  been  held,  and 
itinerating  trips  made  as  opportunity  allowed. 

The  Seoul  girls'  schools  are  now  under  the  care  of 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        155 

Mrs.  E.  H.  Miller,  who,  with  the  assistance  of  the 
married  ladies  of  the  Mission,  and  such  of  the  single 
ladies  as  are  not  away  itinerating,  is  directing  our 
boarding  schools  as  well  as  the  primary  departments. 

Miss  K.  C.  Wambold,  and  Miss  E.  H.  Field,  M.D., 
spend  their  whole  time  either  itinerating  among 
the  Churches  or  holding  classes  for  the  training  of 
Christian  women  connected  with  the  station,  in  Bible- 
class  work,  or  in  teaching  in  our  schools.  A  daughter 
of  the  late  Dr.  J.  W.  Heron  has  just  taken  up  work 
and  is  teaching  in  the  school. 

-^  The  territory  assigned  to  Seoul  station  consists  of 
a  belt  practically  covering  the  whole  width  of  the  pen- 
insula, comprising  an  area  slightly  less  than  that  of 
West  Virginia,  and  in  about  the  same  latitude.  The 
population  is  estimated  at  nearly  3,000,000,  of  which 
fully  1,500,000  come  properly  as  the  share  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  N'orth. 

The  work  carried  on  by  this  Church  in  this  station 
is  in  connection  with  123  self-supporting  churches, 
178  places  of  regular  meeting,  1,612  conmiunicants, 
of  which  315  were  added  last  year,  and  7,500  adher- 
ents, and  in  44  schools  they  have  an  enrolment  of 
over  750  scholars. 

For  the  care  and  oversight  of  this,  we  have  eight 
clerical  men  and  two  physicians  with  their  wives,  and 
four  single  ladies,  and  in  addition  to  all  the  regular 
work  in  connection  with  these  churches,  it  should  be 
remembered  that,  as  a  rule,  almost  the  entire  time  of 
three  of  these  men  has  to  be  given  up  to  Bible  trans- 


156  The  Call  of  Korea 

lation  and  literary  work,  and  Seoul  being  the  centre 

of  the  country  and  of  the  Mission  labors,  no  small 

amount  of  the  technical  business  and  committee  work 

of  the  Mission  devolves  upon  these  men.  ^^^— 

The  second  station  opened  by  the  Korea  Mission 

was   at   Fusan.     Here,   for  some   time,   Dr.   Baird 

lived,  and  after  the  death  of  Dr.  Hugh 
Fusan  .  ° 

Brown,  Dr.   and  Mrs.  Irvin  arrived  to 

take  up  the  medical  work  of  this  station.     Work  in 

the  south  has  not  been  easy,  and  that  in  the  north 

has  demanded  laborers  so  insistently  that  this  station 

has,  to  a  large  extent,  been  a  trainer  and  feeder  for 

stations  in  the  north.     Latterly,  however,  the  force 

has  been  more  permanent.     Considering  the  numbers 

at  work  the   results   have   been  most   encouraging, 

and  during  the  past  year  there  have  been  added  to  the 

Church  218  communicants,  an  increase  of  almost  fifty 

per  cent.    [^ 

This  evangelistic  work  has  been  under  the  care  of 
the  Kevs.  E.  H.  Sidebotham  and  W.  E.  Smith.  The 
Junkin  Memorial  Hospital  and  Mary  Collins  Whit- 
ing dispensary  are  under  the  care  of  Dr.  C.  H.  Irvin. 
Here  a  large  and  growing  medical  work  is  carried  on 
that  reaches  far  into  the  interior. 

The  territory  of  this  station  comprises  the  Prov- 
ince of  S.  Kyung  Sang,  and  considering  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Australians,  there  are  left  to  be  evangel- 
ized by  our  Church  in  this  province  750,000  people. 
As  has  been  often  said,  this  has  been  the  most  neg- 
lected portion  of  Korea,  but  we  are  able  to  report 


\/ 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        157 

47  self-supporting  churches,  520  communic^t  mem- 
bers, with  2,017  adherents.  These  churches  with 
their  out-stations  are  earnestly  engaged  in  pushing 
forward  the  work,  and,  as  can  be  seen,  are  left  to  the 
care  of  but  two  clerical  workers  and  the  assistance 
that  can  be  rendered  by  an  overworked  doctor. 
''  A  very  promising  work  among  the  women  at  Fusan 
and  a  night  school  for  girls  has  been  under  the  care 
of  Mrs.  C.  H.  Irvin,  and  has  done  much  to  build  up 
Christian  homes  in  this  neighborhood.     -^ 

All  this  time,  as  opportunity  allowed,  continued 
trips  were  made  toward  the  north,  and  in  the  fall  of 
1893  Messrs.  Moffett  and  Lee  were  set 
apart  for  work  in  the  northern  province 
of  Pyeng  An  Do.  Here  they  purchased  a  small 
property,  and  living  among  the  people,  won  a  way 
for  themselves  and  the  Gospel  they  were  preaching. 
Here  has  been  witnessed  the  most  marvellous  mission 
work  of  modem  times,  and  Christian  laymen  from 
America  and  newspaper  war-correspondents  from 
Europe  have  united  in  expressing  wonder  at  what  has 
been  witnessed. 

The  following  table  taken  from  "Fifteen  Years  in 
the  Korea  Mission,"  will  give  some  idea  of  the  ad- 
vance in  this  station. 

September,  1890.    3  baptized  men  in  Pyeng  Tang  city,  3  reported 

believers  ;  no  regular  meetings,  no  leadership. 

March, 1891,     20-30    Christians   found   in  Euiju,    a    provincial 

town. 

*'     1893.     Church  organized. 

"     1895,    20  church  members  in  the  city ;  73  baptized  persons 


158  The  Call  of  Korea 

in  Pyeng  An  province ;  4   church   buildings, 
wholly  or  partially  completed. 
March,  1896.     150  added  to  the  Church  ;  22  preaching  places. 

1897.  377  church  members,  1,723  catechumens,  69  preach- 
ing places,  14  new  church  buildings  provided 
by  Koreans. 
"  1898.  697  added  to  the  Church ;  total  members  in  this 
field,  1,050  ;  self-supporting  churches,  121 ;  en- 
rolled catechumens,  3,440 ;  new  church  build- 
ings, 44 ;  Korean  contributions,  $1,438  (gold). 
"  1899.  Church  members,  1,882  ;  self-supporting  churches, 
153  ;  adherents,  7,433  ;  total  church  buildings, 
94,  of  which  38  were  erected  during  the  year, 
for  which  the  people  contributed  3,781.92  yen. 

It  was  soon  after  this  latter  date  that  the  work  of 
this  province  was  divided,  to  be  cared  for  by  two  sta- 
tions, and  Syen  Chun  was  set  apart,  and  despite  this 
division,  the  figures  for  Pyeng  Yang  station  in  1907 
were  164  self-supporting  churches,  with  258  regular 
meeting  places,  6,089  communicants,  of  whom  1,106 
were  added  during  the  year,  and  20,414  adherents. 

For  the  instruction  of  the  children  in  these 
churches,  there  are  111  schools,  of  which  110  are  en- 
tirely self-supporting,  with,  an  attendance  of  3,075 
pupilSj/^ 

The  evangelistic  work  of  the  station  is  cared  for  by 
the  Kev.  S.  A.  Moffett,  D.D.,  Kev.  Graham  Lee, 
Kev.  W.  L.  Swallen,  Kev.  C.  F.  Bernheisel,  Eev.  W. 
N.  Blair.  The  local  work,  which,  is  very  extensive, 
is  at  the  present  time  divided  among  four  churches, 
central,  south,  north,  and  east,  with  another  church 
to  be  set  off  in  the  west  almost  at  once.  The  country 
work  is  divided  into  seven  circuits,  and  in  both  local 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        159 

and  city  work,  those  whose  assignment  is  educational 
and  medical  also  assist. 

The  medical  work  of  the  station  is  carried  on  by  the 
Caroline  A.  Ladd  hospital,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  J. 
Hunter  Wells,   and  it  is  interesting  to 

,  ,  .       ,  .,  Medical 

note  that  there  is  almost  complete  union 
medical  work  between  the  Methodist  Episcopal  and 
Presbyterian  Churches.  The  latest  official  report 
states  that  the  evangelistic  opportunities  of  the  dis- 
pensary, with  its  daily  changing  crowd  of  new  peo- 
ple, can  scarcely  be  overestimated. 

One  of  the  strongest  features  of  the  work  here,  as 
elsewhere  in  this  Mission,  is  the  system  of  training 
classes,  which  are  similar  to  a  Bible  Insti-  Traimng 

tute  in  America,  and  range  from  those  oiaaae" 

who  are  just  learning  to  read  to  those  who  have 
studied  their  Bibles  for  years.  The  class  for  country 
men  reached  an  enrolment  of  almost  1,000,  the  class 
for  the  men  of  the  city  about  800,  that  for  country 
women  560,  that  for  city  women  300.  In  addition, 
country  classes  in  central  places  were  conducted,  the 
women  missionaries  having  charge  of  10,  with  an  en- 
rolment of  685,  making  a  total  of  192  of  these  coun- 
try classes,  with  an  enrolment  of  9,650.  ^ 

Here  in  this  station  is  situated  our  Theological 
Seminary,  at  which  the  regular  students  are  in  at- 
tendance for  three  months  of  the  year, -<^  It  may  be 
claimed  that  three  months  is  rather  a  short  time  for 
such  work,  but  when  it  is  remembered  that  this  is 
three  months  of  steady  book  work,  and  that  the  stu- 


i6o  The  Call  of  Korea 

dents  are  then  sent  back  to  spend  the  rest  of  the  year 
in  the  practical  application  of  what  they  have  learned, 
the  training  they  are  receiving  will  be  better  under- 
stood. 

The  students  are  drawn  from  all  parts  of  Korea, 
and  the  instructors  likewise  come  from  all  stations 
and  all  the  Presbyterian  Missions.  Of  course  the 
Seminary,  being  situated  here,  a  larger  portion  of  the 
work  done  is  by  members  of  this  station  than  by 
those  from  any  other. 

A  greater  degree  of  union  between  denominations 
has  been  attained  in  the  educational  work  of  this  sta- 
CoUeKeand  ^^^^  than  in  any  other  department.  In 
academio  work  ^\xq  college  and  academic  work  of  this  sec- 
tion, there  has  been  a  tentative  union,  but  those  en- 
gaged in  this  higher  education  express  the  opinion 
that  it  is  no  longer  tentative  in  thought.  This  edu- 
cational work  is  under  the  care  and  supervision  of 
Dr.  W.  M.  Baird  and  the  Kev.  G.  S.  McCune,  but 
assistance  in  teaching  is  given  by  other  members  of 
the  station.  As  in  Seoul,  so  here,  the  primary 
school  system  is  to  harmonize  with  academic  and  col- 
lege work,  and  Mr.  G.  S.  McCune  has  been  appointed 
Superintendent  of  Schools  for  this  station  in  order 
to  bring  about  this  unification. 

The  collegiate  department  is  now  in  full  working 
order,  and  Dr.  Baird  is  President  both  of  the  College 
and  Academy. 

In  the  desire  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  women  of 
this  section,  great  activity  has  been  shown  by  the 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        i6i 

single    ladies    and    the   wives    of    the   missionaries. 
Women's  classes  have  been  held,  primary  women's 

schools    for    girls    organized,    a    normal         ^°^^ 
school  for  women,  an  advanced  school  for  girls  and 
women,  as  well  as  country  training  classes,  have  all 
been  carried  on. 

The  institutional  work  for  women  is  largely  under 
the  care  of  Miss  Margaret  Best  and  Miss  Velma  L. 
Snook.  This  province  of  S.  Pyeng  An,  though 
comparatively  small,  is  thickly  populated,  and  includ- 
ing the  portion  of  K  Whang  Hai,  we  find  800,000 
people  to  be  evangelized  by  this  northern  station,  for 
which  there  are  seven  ordained  ministers  on  whose 
shoulders,  in  addition  to  evangelistic  work,  rests,  as 
has  been  seen,  a  large  share  of  the  theological  instruc- 
tion, two  large  educational  institutions,  as  well  as  the 
guidance  and  direction  of  this  large  number  of  infant 
churches  and  new  believers.  Besides  all  this,  these 
men  are  freely  adding  to  their  work  their  full  share 
of  the  preparation  of  school  text-books,  Bible  study 
helps,  religious  books  of  all  kinds,  and  tracts,  as  well 
as  undertaking  the  direction  and  care  of  eleemosynary 
institutions,  such  as  schools  for  the  blind  and  homes 
for  the  friendless. 

The  density  of  the  population  of  the  northern  half 
of  Kyeng  Sang  early  led  Dr.  Baird  to  see  the  neces- 
sity of  a  station  here,  and  finding  that 
Tai  Ku  was  considered  the  third  largest 
city  in  the  kingdom,  he  asked  permission  to  open  a 
station  at  this  point,  believing  it  would  be  a  good 


1 62  The  Call  of  Korea 

centre  for  wide  seed-sowing,  and,  although  only  one 
hundred  miles  from  Fusan,  this,  the  capital  of  N. 
Kyung  Sang,  was  opened  as  a  station  in  1899, 
although  Dr,  Baird  and  Mr.  Adams  had  made  several 
visits  there,  and  Mr.  Adams  had  moved  in  in  1897, 
being  joined  in  the  winter  of  this  year  by  Dr.  W.  O. 
Johnson  and  wife. 

This  province,  said  to  contain  1,750,000  people,  is 
left  entirely  to  our  Mission,  and  in  this  city  of  not 
quite  100,000  inhabitants  there  are  now  a  well- 
equipped  hospital,  residences  for  missionaries  and 
physicians,  a  church  with  an  average  morning  attend- 
ance of  between  seven  and  eight  hundred,  and  an 
academy  which  it  is  expected  will  meet  the  needs  for 
the  higher  education  for  Tai  Ku  and  Fusan  for  some 
years  to  come.  It  is  still  pioneering  work  in  this  dis- 
trict. The  missionary,  often  accompanied  by  his 
wife,  goes  out  on  long  itinerating  trips  to  look  after 
the  scattered  churches  and  to  do  pioneer  evangelistic 
work.  The  work  is  divided  into  that  of  the  city  and 
four  country  districts.  Here  they  have  85  entirely 
self-supporting  churches  with  564  communicants  (of 
whom  280  were  added  during  the  year)  and  6,145 
adherents.  These  churches  carry  on  49  schools,  of 
which  46  are  entirely  self-supporting,  with  an  enrol- 
ment of  433  pupils.  All  this  work,  at  present,  is  un- 
der the  care  of  four  ordained  men  and  one  physician, 
and  their  wives,  and  one  single  lady,  and  despite  the 
fact  that  their  hands  are  consequently  more  than  full, 
they  do  not  hesitate  as  the  need  arises  and  oppor- 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        163 

tunity  offers,  to  go  outside  their  station  and  help  in 
other  fields,  where  on  account  of  temporary  vacan- 
cies, or  other  special  need,  the  call  seems  imperative. 

"The  Bubble  of  Syen  Chun,"  that  was  soon  to 
burst,  has  certainly  seemed  permanent.  The  fast- 
growing  work  in  the  northern  part  of  STenOhun 
Pyeng  An  province  compelled  the  set-  Station 
ting  aside  of  this  station  in  1901.  The  territory  is 
about  300  miles  long  by  150  wide,  and  includes 
a  population  of  about  800,000,  of  whom  fully  500,000 
are  the  Presbyterian  allotment.  Previous  to  this,  a 
large  number  of  itinerating  evangelistic  trips  had 
been  taken  through  this  section,  one  of  the  earliest 
works  had  opened  at  Euiju,  considerably  north  of 
Syen  Chun,  and  had  been  pushed  with  considerable 
vigor,  but  from  Pyeng  Yang  as  a  centre. 

Syen  Chun  was  chosen  because  it  was  at  about  the 
centre  of  the  religious  work  of  this  section,  and  when 
this  station  was  opened  the  enrolled  membership,  in- 
cluding catechumens,  was  over  1,800. 

The  father  of  this  station  is  the  Rev.  i^orman 
Whittemore,  and  he  has  now  associated  with  him  the 
Rev.  and  Mrs.  Cyril  Ross,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  Blair, 
Miss  Chase,  and  Miss  Samuels,  who  are  looking  after 
the  evangelistic,  educational,  and  women's  work,  and 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Sharrocks,  who,  in  addition  to  taking 
charge  of  the  medical  work,  have  assisted  much  in 
evangelistic  labors,  and  have  considerable  oversight 
of  the  buildings  that  have  been  erected  in  the  station. 
In  the  city  of  Syen  Chun,  a  new  church  building  has 


164  The  Call  of  Korea 

just  been  erected  to  seat  about  1,500  people,  which 
with  a  men's  Sunday  school  numbering  800,  and  a 
women's  numbering  733,  gives  an  opportunity  for  the 
careful  study  of  the  Bible. 

The  country  work  is  divided  into  twenty-one  cir- 
cuits, and  during  the  year  twenty-four  new  groups 
(partially  organized  churches)  have  been 

Kang  Kei  ,        ^  .    .  .       ,  .  .  .      . 

started.  Included  m  this  territory  is  the 
Kang  Kei  district,  to  the  northeast.  Here  there  are 
three  circuits  with  three  helpers,  thirteen  school- 
teachers (native),  three  home  missionaries,  and  two 
colporteurs,  all  entirely  supported  by  the  native 
Church. 

The  difficulty  of  access  and  the  great  distance  make 
it  imperative  that  a  new  station  should  be  started 
here,  as  the  people  are  eager,  intelligent,  and  among 
the  most  responsive  and  progressive  in  the  province. 
For  this  new  station,  at  least  two  ordained  men  and 
a  physician  will  be  necessary. 

During  the  past  year  this  station  reports  102 
churches,  all  entirely  self-supporting,  with  4,639  com- 
municants (of  whom  1,085  were  added  during  the 
year),  and  a  total  of  adherents  of  15,348. 

These  churches  support  123  schools,  all  of  which 
are  entirely  self-supporting,  with  a  total  enrolment 
of  2,290  pupils.  U 

The  hospital  work  is  becoming  more  and  more  effi- 
cient as  the  building  is  being  made  more  complete, 
and  the  native  medical  students  gain  in  knowledge 
and  experience. 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations         165 

The  hospital  buildings  are  entirely  in  the  Korean 
style,  and  yet  are  so  carefully  kept  that  they  form 
an  excellent  example  of  what  can  be  done  in  the 
Korean  homes. 

The  primary  schools  of  this  territory  have  been  in 
the  main  full,  many  of  them  overcrowded.  It  was 
not  expected  that  academic  work  should 
be  undertaken  in  this  northern  station, 
but  the  rapidly  increasing  number  of  graduates  from 
primary  schools  who  demanded  further  instruction, 
and  the  earnest  insistence  on  the  part  of  their  parents 
and  of  the  churches,  have  compelled  the  opening  of 
temporary  academies  in  two  or  three  parts  of  the 
province,  so  that  it  is  now  necessary  that  these  should 
be  harmonized,  and  effort  united  at  Syen  Chun. 

Miss  Chase  and  Miss  Snook,  and  the  wives  of  the 
missionaries,    have    women's    work    in  Women's 

charge,  which  includes  training  classes,        ^"^ 
girls'  primary  schools,  and  two  girls'  academies,  each 
to  be  opened  for  a  part  of  the  year.    -^^ 

Of  course,  the  Bible  training  classes  that  have  been 
a  marked  feature  in  all  parts  of  Korea,  are  also  car- 
ried on  here,  although  the  higher  theological  instruc- 
tion is  given  at  Pyeng  Yang.  To  carry  on  all  this 
work  there  are  at  present  three  ordained  men  and 
one  physician,  with  their  wives,  and  two  single  ladies. 

The  two  stations  of  Seoul  and  Pyeng  Yang  met, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  overlapped,  in 
the  province  of  Whang  Hai.    Here  each  "   '^°°^ 

station  had  part  of  its  most  promising  work.    This 


1 66  The  Call  of  Korea 

work  developed  so  rapidly  that  the  increasing  number 
of  churches  needed  more  careful  oversight  than 
could  be  given  from  Seoul  and  Pyeng  Yang,  and 
therefore  the  station  of  Chai  Ryong  was  organized 
to  take  up  this  work  in  the  province  of  Whang 
Hai. 

Tai  Ku  was  opened  because  there  were  no  Chris- 
tians, but  a  wonderful  future,  in  that  vast  province, 
but  Chai  Ryong,  on  the  other  hand,  because  the  great 
and  rapidly  increasing  number  of  Christians  needed 
oversight  and  guidance. 

This  station  was  therefore  started  a  year  ago  with 
the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Wm.  B.  Hunt,  Rev.  and  Mrs. 
C.  E.  Sharp,  Rev.  and  Mrs.  E.  W.  Koons,  and  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  H.  C.  Whiting,  M.D.  It  has  naturally  been 
a  year  of  building.  The  city  work  has  grown  con- 
siderably, and  the  natives  have  built  and  paid  for  a 
new  church,  which  has  a  seating  capacity  of  one 
thousand. 

This  station  is  divided  into  three  districts  which, 
with  the  local  city  church,  make  up  the  four  depart- 
ments for  this  station.  They  report  during  the  past 
year  98  churches  entirely  self-supporting,  with  2,255 
communicants  (of  whom  417  were  added  during  the 
year)  and  7,420  adherents.  These  churches  carry 
on  45  parochial  schools  entirely  self-supporting,  with 
an  enrolment  of  771  pupils.  To  take  charge  of  this 
work  this  station  has  three  clerical  and  one  medical 
missionary,  and  besides  the  supervision  of  all  the 
native  helpers  and  churches,  they  are  responsible  for 


The  Work,  of  the  Denominations        167 

the  evangelization  of  800,000  of  the  people  of  the 
province. 

A  summary,  then,  of  the  work  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  North,  shows  that  her  allotment  is  6,700,000 
people  to  be  reached,  and  in  carrying  out 
this  work  she  has  undertaken  six  hos-  Tmmary 

pitals  and  asks  for  two  more  at  once.  Along  educa- 
tional lines,  she  has  one  theological  seminary,  one 
college,  three  academies  and  339  primary  schools  for 
girls  and  boys,  and  in  this  enumeration  it  must  be 
remembered  that  we  are  rather  speaking  of  teachers 
and  taught  than  of  equipment  in  buildings  and  plant. 
Of  this  total  344  schools,  334  are  entirely  supported 
by  the  natives,  but  the  oversight  and  efficient  working 
of  the  same  are  dependent  on  the  missionary  force. 

Still  further,  it  should  be  noted  that  these  mis- 
sionaries have  charge  of  619  self-supporting  churches, 
which  carry  on  regular  meetings  in  767  places,  have 
enrolled  15,079  communicants  (of  whom  3,241  were 
admitted  last  year),  giving  a  total  of  adherents  of 
59,787. 

To  undertake  this  work  the  Presbyterian  Church 
has  provided  twenty-nine  ordained  men,  eight  male 
physicians,  three  women  physicians,  nine  single 
women,  and  thirty-five  wives  of  missionaries.    «i— 

In  a  wonderful  way  has  the  opportunity  in  Korea 
been  offered  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  which  has 
in  a  remarkable  way  the  confidence  of  the  Korean 
people.  Some  other  denominations  have  been  asked 
to  enter,  but  in  several  cases  have  declined,  because 


1 68  The  Call  of  Korea 

of  the  presence  of  agents  of  this  Church,  and  thus,  in 
a  peculiar  way,  has  this  work  devolved  upon  them. 

As  was  noticed  in  the  previous  chapter,  the  Aus- 
tralian Church  had  sent  Mr.  Davies  in  1889,  but 

after  his  death  in  1890  reenforcements 
Anstialians  i      i  i  i  i    i   •      -ri 

bad  been  sent,  who  settled  m  Jbusan,  as 

the  place  in  which  to  locate.     They  have  gradually 

extended  their  labors  to  the  interior,  have  a  good 

local  church  and  girls'  school  at  Fusan,  and  have 

just  started  a  new  station  at  Chin  Ju. 

They  share  this  southern  province  with  us,  and  an 
arrangement  of  territorial  division  has  been  entered 
into.  They  have,  at  present,  three  clerical  mission- 
aries, one  of  whom  is  also  a  physician,  and  four  single 
ladies. 

The  territorial  division  has  put  the  responsibility 
for  certain  sections  upon  the  Australians,  and  they 
are  asking  for  reenforcements,  so  that  they  may  ade- 
quately undertake  their  share  of  the  work. 

The  success  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission  in  Korea 

early  called  the  attention  of  the  Southern  Presby- 

Southem         terian    Church    to    this    work,    and.  in 

Presbytenan  i  <• 

Church  answer  to  the  appeal  for  workers  four  or 

five  of  her  young  men  unitedly  applied  to  be  sent  in 
1891.  Funds  being  providentially  provided  at  the 
same  time,  the  Mission  was  organized,  and  in  l^ovem- 
ber,  1892,  Messrs.  Eeynolds,  Junkin,  Tate,  and  John- 
son arrived  in  Korea  to  initiate  the  work  of  this 
Church.  They  at  once  came  into  the  Council  of  Mis- 
sions holding  the  Presbyterian  faith,  and  after  con- 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        169 

sultation,  it  was  agreed  that  as  the  Presbyterian 
Church  was,  comparatively,  so  well  able  to  push  the 
work  in  the  north,  the  Southern  Church  should 
look  to  the  south  as  its  field  of  labor.  While  select- 
ing the  sites  for  their  stations,  and  learning  the  lan- 
guage, they  ably  and  generously  assisted  the  ISTorthern 
Presbyterian  Church  in  its  work  at  Seoul  and  else- 
where, and  within  a  few  years  established  their  first 
station  at  Chun  Ju,  ^_^^ 

Since  then,  they  have  organized  stations  at  Kunsan 
Mok  Po,  and  Quang  Ju,  and  while  for  the  first  years 
their  work  was  naturally  mainly  seed-sowing  and 
preparation,  the  later  results,  during  the  last  few 
years,  have  been  most  encouraging, 

Chun  Ju  was  opened  in  1896,  and  the  territory  ad- 
jacent has  a  population  of  500,000,  for 
which  the  missionaries  here  stationed  are 
alone  responsible. 

At  this  point  the  Kev.  and  Mrs.  L.  D.  Tate,  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Wm.  D.  Reynolds,  and  Miss  M.  Tate  are 
stationed.  They  report  60  out-stations,  with  386 
communicants,  4,000  adherents,  and  are  carrying  on 
10  schools,  of  which  nine  are  entirely  self-supporting, 
with  190  pupils. 

Kun  San  was  early  opened  as  the  port  of  Chun  Ju, 
and  with  its  surrounding  population  has  a  territory 
inhabited  by  500,000  people,  which  must 
look  to  the  missionaries  of  this  station  ^  ^ 

alone  for  the  Gospel.  Here  are  settled  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Bull,  Rev.  W.  B.  Harrison,  Rev.  A.  M.  Earle, 


lyo  The  Call  of  Korea 

and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  T.  H.  Daniel.  This  station  reports 
27  out-stations,  381  communicants,  1,150  adherents, 
six  schools,  five  of  which  are  entirely  self-supporting, 
with  an  enrolment  of  125  pupils. 

Mok  Po  and  Quang  Ju  should  be  considered  as  one 
station,  Mok  Po  being  the  port  and  Quang  Ju  the  cap- 

MokPoand      ^^^^    ^^    ^^^    southern    province.     This 
0^^*°?^^  station  has  the  entire  oversight  of  the 

province  of  S.  Challa,  with  a  population  something 
over  1,000,000.  Here  at  Quang  Ju  are  located  Kev. 
and  Mrs.  Eugene  Bell,  Kev.  and  Mrs.  C.  C,  Owen, 
both  of  the  latter  being  M.D.'s ;  Kev.  and  Mrs.  J.  F. 
Preston,  Miss  P.  Straefer,  and  Dr.  J.  W.  Nolan. 
They  report  53  out-stations,  284  communicants,  3,260 
adherents,  and  carry  on  three  schools  with  66  pupils. 
'No  other  denomination  is  at  present  working  within 
the  bounds  of  any  of  the  three  stations  under  the  care 
of  this  church,  and  2,000,000  people  are  left  to  be 
evangelized  by  eight  missionaries.  As  was  noted 
above,  this  church  early  assisted  in  the  work  of  the 
other  Presbyterian  churches,  and  for  some  years  past 
one  of  their  number,  the  Kev.  W.  D.  Keynolds, 
gave  his  entire  time  to  Bible  translation,  and  he, 
with  his  family,  residing  at  Seoul,  engaged  in  this 
and  other  literary  work,  and  while  acting  also  as 
secretary  of  the  Korean  Keligious  Tract  Society,  ably 
and  generously  helped  in  the  city  evangelization  work 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  North. 

After  the  death  of  the  Kev.  Mr.  McKenzie,  at 
Sorai,  that  part  of  the  Canadian  Church  to  which  he 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations         171 

belonged  was  moved  to  open  up  mission  work  in 
Korea,  and  in  the  fall  of  1898  the  Rev.  Canadian 

Duncan  McRae,  Rev,  and  Mrs.  Foote,  Ohuron 
and  the  Rev.  J.  Grierson,  M.D.,  and  wife  arrived  to 
organize  a  mission.  They  were  naturally  much  drawn 
to  the  seat  of  the  labors  of  Mr.  McKenzie,  but  the 
province  of  Whang  Hai  being  small  and  already  com- 
paratively well  worked  by  both  Presbyterians  and 
Methodists,  after  consultation  with  the  members  of 
the  Council  of  Missions  it  was  decided  that  they 
should  be  assigned  the  northern  province  of  Ham 
Kyeng  and  that  the  Presbyterian  Church,  iN'orth, 
should  withdraw  from  Won  San,  thus  handing  over 
its  work  in  this  province  to  the  Canadians. 

They  have  established  stations  at  Won  San,  Ham 
Eung,  and  one  point  further  north,  and  are  planning 
to  open  another  station  still  further  north,  and  thus 
man  the  whole  province.  A  territorial  division  be- 
tween them  and  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  having  been  arranged,  almost  the  entire  popu- 
lation of  this  northern  province  is  left  to  this  one 
church.  They  have  at  present  six  clerical  workers, 
one  of  whom  is  a  doctor,  one  other  male  physician, 
one  single  lady  doctor,  and  one  other  single  lady 
worker.  A  most  encouraging  beginning  has  been 
made  in  harvesting,  and  here,  as  at  other  points  in 
the  north,  the  mission  work  is  crowding  the 
missionary. 

In  their  territory  they  have,  at  the  present  time, 
62  churches,  all  of  which  are  entirely  self-supporting, 


172  The  Call  of  Korea 

with  814  communicants,  and  a  total  of  enrolled  ad- 
herents of  3,830,  and  these  contributed,  during  the 
past  year,  $2,573.34. 

All  of  these  churches  are  working  in  perfect  har- 
mony, and  on  the  field  have  ecclesiastical  union,  and 
the  "Jesus  Church"  is  the  name  by  which  they  are 
known  in  Korea.  With  the  consent  of  the  governing 
bodies  of  those  missions,  an  advance  was  made  in 
1907,  when  a  Presbytery  was  organized  to  take  over- 
sight of  all  the  Presbyterian  Churches,  and  was  con- 
stituted with  Dr.  S.  A.  Moffett  in  the  chair  at  the  city 
of  Pyeng  Yang,  in  the  month  of  September.  In  a 
letter  just  received  he  says : 

"This  is  a  great  year  in  the  history  of  the  Church 
in  Korea.  The  Council  decided  to  go  ahead  with 
the  organization  of  the  Korean  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  on  September  17,  1907,  just  at  noon,  the  Mod- 
erator's gavel  announced  that  the  Presbytery  had 
been  constituted  in  accordance  with  the  authority 
given  by  the  General  Assemblies  of  the  four  Presby- 
terian Churches,  whose  missions  were  united  in  the 
Council. 

"The  Presbytery  had  at  its  organization  representa- 
tive elders  from  36  fully  organized  churches,  at  least 
two  other  churches  with  elders  not  being  represented. 
The  Presbytery  then  elected  its  officers,  and,  as  its 
first  work,  began  the  examination  of  the  seven  men 
who  had  finished  the  theological  course  of  five  years, 
and  proceeded  to  their  ordination.  At  the  night 
meeting,  in  a  very  impressive  service,  the  seven  men 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        173 

were  ordained — the  first  ordained  Presbyterian 
ministers  of  the  Korean  Church. 

"The  Presbytery,  in  its  first  meeting,  consisted, 
after  the  ordination  of  these  men,  of  32  foreign  mis- 
sionaries and  40  Korean  ministers  and  elders.  Pres- 
bytery has  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  over  a  church 
with  17,890  communicants,  21,482  catechumens, 
38  fully  organized  churches,  984  churches  not  all 
fully  organized,  adherents  numbering  69,098,  and 
day  schools  402,  with  8,611  pupils  under  instruction. 
This  church  contributed  last  year  94,227  yen  for  all 
purposes  ($47,113.50  U.  S.  gold). 

"Presbytery  granted  permission  for  Mr.  Kil  San 
Chu  to  accept  the  call  of  pastor  of  the  Central 
Church,  Pyeng  Yang,  and  provided  for  his  installa- 
tion. The  other  ordained  men  were  appointed  as 
pastors  or  co-pastors  over  groups  of  churches,  until 
the  next  meeting  of  the  Presbytery — all  except  one, 
and  in  his  case  Presbytery  took  what  is,  perhaps, 
the  most  significant  action  of  its  session.  One  of 
the  seven  men  ordained,  Yi  Ki  Poung,  was  set  aside 
as  missionary  to  the  island  of  Quelpart,  and  the 
whole  Church  asked  to  provide  means  for  sending 
him  there  with  the  Gospel,  he  and  his  wife,  with  one 
or  more  helpers,  to  go  to  the  people  of  that  island, 
proclaim  the  Gospel,  and  establish  the  Church. 

"Sixteen  years  ago,  he  stoned  me  on  the  streets  of 
Pyeng  Yang,  and  now  he  goes  as  the  first  missionary 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Korea." 

Here  was  the  native  Church  of  Korea,  with  only 


174  The  Call  of  Korea 

seven  ordained  native  ministers,  and  yet,  at  its  first 
meeting,  setting  aside  one  of  its  number  to  go  as  a 
missionary  to  far-distant  Quelpart. 

The  Korean  Presbyterian  Church  has,  for  some 
years,  been  self-supporting  and  self-propagating,  and 
this  year  the  third  step  was  reached  when  it  was  made 
a  self-governing  church. 

Just  as  the  Presbyterian  Missions  have  all  com- 
bined in  one  ecclesiastical  body,  so  the  two  Methodist 
Episcopal  Missions  in  this  country,  although  their 
union,  perhaps,  in  some  respects  is  not  as  close,  form 
one  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Korea.  It  was, 
however,  the  IN'orthern  Methodist  Church  that 
entered  first. 

In  1883  the  Eev.  John  P.  Goucher,  D.D.,  of  Bal- 
timore, while  travelling  across  the  American  conti- 
nent, met  the  Korean  Embassy  on  its  way  to  Wash- 
ington, and  being  interested  in  the  project  of  starting 
a  mission  there,  made  a  special  donation  of  two  thou- 
sand dollars  to  the  Methodist  Board  toward  this  pur- 
pose. Toward  the  close  of  1884,  William  B.  Scran- 
ton,  M.D.,  and  the  Kev.  H.  G.  Appenzeller,  were  ap- 
pointed its  first  missionaries.  They  sailed  from  San 
Francisco  on  the  3d  of  February,  the  first  of  them 
reaching  Chemulpo  on  the  5th  of  April,  and  the 
others  somewhat  later,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  M.  F. 
Scranton,  Dr.  Scranton's  mother,  representing  the 
Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  to  begin  work  among  women 
and  girls.     They  settled  in  Seoul,  working  hand  in 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        1 75 

hand  and  side  by  side  with  the  first  Presbyterian 
missionaries. 

Dr.  Scranton  at  once  began  medical  work,  ably 
assisting  in  the  government  hospital  at  first ;  but  be- 
lieving that,  at  this  stage,  greater  good  could  be  acom- 
plished  from  two  centres,  later  established  a  Metho- 
dist hospital.  Almost  at  the  same  time  Mr.  Appen- 
zeller  organized  the  Pai  Chai  school,  believing  that, 
by  gathering  boys  around  him,  they  could  be  won 
more  easily  to  Christ. 

Mrs.  M.  F.  Scranton,  very  soon  after  her  arrival, 
started  a  girls'  school,  having  thus  the  honor  of  organ- 
izing the  first  Christian  girls'  school  in  Korea.  She 
was  soon  joined  by  Miss  Rothweiler,  who  ably  assisted 
in  this  school,  and  in  the  work  among  women. 

At  about  this  time  Miss  Dr.  Howard  arrived  to  be- 
gin their  medical  work  among  women,  and  almost  at 
once  opened  a  dispensary,  which  has  since  become  a 
woman's  hospital  with  two  dispensaries  in  the  city. 

Soon  after  this  the  mission  was  reenforced  by  the 
arrival  of  Rev.  George  Heber  Jones,  Dr.  W.  J.  Hall, 
the  Rev.  W.  A.  Xoble,  and  the  time  of  expansion  in 
the  work  of  this  Church  began. 

There  have,  naturally,  been  changes  from  time  to 
time  in  the  personnel  of  this  Mission,  but  we  will  try 
and  show  how  the  present  work  in  Korea  Seoul  and 

is  manned  and  divided  among  the  various         Dis^iot^ 
districts  as  constituted  by  this  Church.     Seoul  and 
Chemulpo  are  so  near,  and  communication  so  easy, 
they  may  be  considered  together,  as  was  done  in  their 


176  The  Call  of  Korea 

last  annual  report,  although  the  Mission  has  estab- 
lished mission  residences  and  evangelistic  and  educa- 
tional plants  at  both  these  points.  All  the  members 
of  the  Mission  assist  in  the  evangelistic  work,  and  this 
district  comprises  four  city  churches  in  Seoul,  one  at 
Chemulpo,  and  seven  country  circuits,  to  take  charge 
of  which  there  are  seven  foreign  men  and  nine  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society. 
The  largest  of  the  churches  is  the  Eirst  Church  of 
Seoul,  founded  by  the  Eev.  H.  G.  Appenzeller,  which 
has  a  membership  of  1,409,  with  266  additional 
regular  attendants. 

In  Seoul  at  present  are  Revs.  George  Heber  Jones, 
Ph.D. ;  D.  A.  Bunker,  S.  A.  Beck,  G.  M.  Burdick, 
Mr.  Swearer  having  lately  returned  on  sick  furlough, 
and  Dr.  Scranton  having  left  the  Mission. 

At  Chemulpo  there  are  the  Revs.  E.  M.  Cable  and 
C.  S.  Deming. 

The  medical  work  of  this  district  centres  in  the 

Women's  Hospital,  and  two  dispensaries  in  the  city 

of  Seoul,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  M.  M. 

Cutler  and  Emma  Ernsberger,  who  have 

also  conducted  a  school  for  trained  nurses  under  the 

charge  of  Miss  Margaret  J.  Edmunds. 

The  educational  work  for  boys  has  also  received 
considerable  attention  in  this  Mission.  As  was  noted 
Educational  above,  Mr.  Appenzeller  early  organized 
^oxk  the   Pai    Chai   Haktang,   which   is   the 

centre  for  a  large  educational  work  throughout  the 
whole  country  section  of  this  district,  where  a  large 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        177 

number  of  primary  schools  have  been  established. 
These  country  schools  have,  during  the  past  year, 
grown  in  number  and  attendance,  almost  beyond  the 
control  of  the  Mission,  but  they  all  centre  in  the  Pai 
Chai  school,  where  successful  normal  classes  have 
been  held. 

In  this  section  44  primary  schools,  with  an  enrol- 
ment of  nearly  1,700  pupils,  were  reported  for  the 
past  year,  Pai  Chai  school  being  under  the  care  of 
the  Kev.  D.  A.  Bunker. 

Very  early  in  the  history  of  this  Mission  they  real- 
ized the  necessity  of  the  printed  page,  and  promptly 
established  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Pub- 
lishing House,  of  which  the  Rev.  F.  Press  work 
Ohlinger  was  the  originator  and  foimder.  At  pres- 
ent this  is  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  S.  A.  Beck. 
It  has  been  largely  patronized  by  all  the  Missions, 
and  has  been  of  immense  service  in  advancing  the 
work  of  every  denomination. 

Seoul  and  Chemulpo  are  the  centres  for  a  very 
large  country  work,  in  which,  excepting  those  whose 
time  is  given  to  institutions,  all  the  mem-  ^^^  country 
bers  of  the  Mission  living  within  these  cucuita 
bounds  participate,  and,  itinerating  widely,  have  the 
oversight  of  nearly  100  churches  with  4,283  members 
and  some  2,851  seekers. 

The  Woman's  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  being 
early  on  the  field,  has  not  confined  itself 
to  the  medical  work  mentioned  above,        onianswor 
but  has  very  industriously  developed  its  school  in 


178  The  Call  of  Korea 

Seoul,  known  as  the  "Ewa  Haktang."  Here  they 
have  the  largest  girls'  school  in  the  country,  which  has 
been,  in  the  main,  under  the  care  for  many  years  of 
Miss  J.  O.  Paine,  and  Miss  L.  E.  Fry,  and  is  health- 
fully and  pleasantly  housed  in  a  very  large  and  com- 
modious brick  building  on  top  of  a  high  hill,  overlook- 
ing a  part  of  the  city.  This  building  was  erected 
under  the  direction  and  care  of  the  ladies  themselves. 

The  other  representatives  of  the  Woman's  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  do  no  little  itinerating,  and  still, 
under  the  able  leadership  of  Mrs.  M.  F.  Scranton, 
plan  for  and  carry  out  women's  Bible  institutes,  and 
women's  Bible  classes  in  the  cities  and  country 
villages. 

Of  the  three  million  that  inhabit  the  territory  of 
this  station,  over  one  million  may  be  assigned  as  the 
share  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  North,  and 
for  the  direction  of  the  evangelistic  work,  and  for  the 
care  and  oversight  of  all  the  churches  and  primary 
schools  comprised  within  this  district,  together  with 
charge  of  the  Publishing  House,  which  undertakes 
work  for  the  whole  country,  and  of  the  Pai  Chai 
Haktang  and  the  Women's  Hospital  and  dispensaries, 
there  are  but  six  men  and  seven  single  lady  workers. 

Pyeng  Yang  was  early  set  apart  by  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Mission  as  a  separate  district  and  placed 
Pyeng  Tang  under  the  care  of  Dr.  W.  J.  Hall  and 
district  Kev.  Wm.  A.  Noble.    As  in  the  work  of 

the  Presbyterian  Church,  so  in  that  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Mission,  the  work  in  this  section  has  been 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        179 

by  far  the  most  flourishing,  and,  although  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  in  America  has  not  realized, 
to  the  full,  her  opportunity  in  this  district,  and  has 
not  sent  the  reenforcements  the  work  seemed  to  de- 
mand, yet  the  results  have  been  almost  disproportion- 
ately large. 

To  look  after  the  evangelistic  work  of  this  section, 
which  includes  the  entire  province  of  Whang  Hai, 
they  have  at  present  only  the  Revs.  W.  A.  I*^oble,  J.  Z. 
Moore,  and  Carl  Critchett. 

The  city  work  comprises  the  First  Church  of  Pyeng 
Yang  and  the  Drew  Appenzeller  Memorial  churches, 
together  with  four  country  circuits,  with  a  total  mem- 
bership of  4,958,  to  which  must  be  added  5,308 
seekers. 

For  the  instruction  of  the  children  of  the  churches 
in  this  section,  there  are  43  primary  schools,  with 
1,405  pupils,  but  for  higher  education 
they  unite  with  the  Presbyterians  in  a  ^"^  ° 

union  academy  and  college  in  Pyeng  Tang,  to 
which  institution  Mr.  Arthur  L.  Becker  gives  his  time 
and  efforts. 

The  medical  work  of  this  Mission  centres  in  the 
Hall  Memorial  Hospital  for  Women,  under  the  care 
of  Mrs.  E.  S.  Hall,  M.D.,  but  in  medical  <_ 
work  for  men  a  degree  of  union  has  been  *f«^<=ai  work 
reached  in  this  station  that  enables  Dr.  A.  Douglas 
Follwell  (Methodist  Episcopal)  to  unite  with  Dr. 
J.  Himter  Wells  (Presbyterian).  This  union  in 
labors  in  both  the  medical  and  educational  work  of 


i8o  The  Call  of  Korea 

this  station,  the  real  harmony  of  interests  and  unity 
of  purpose,  is  well  illustrated  to  the  natives. 

Work  for  women  is  carried  on  in  this  station  by 
Dr.  Eosetta  S.  Hall  and  Esther  K.  Pak,  M.D.,  who, 
together  with  Misses  H.  P.  Robbins,  Emily  I.  Haines, 
and  S.  B.  Hullman,  are  doing  their  best,  not  only  to 
ameliorate  the  suffering  of  women,  but  by  constant 
Biblical  and  secular  instruction  to  raise  the  intellec- 
tual standard  of  the  women  of  Korea,  and  to  enable 
them  to  appreciate  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel. 

The  Province  of  South  Pyeng  An,  together  with 
the  entire  province  of  Whang  Hai,  falls  within  the 
sphere  of  influence  of  this  Pyeng  Yang  circuit,  and 
there  is  assigned  to  this  Mission  as  its  share  of  the 
population  of  these  two  provinces,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  1,000,000  people,  and  for  these,  there  are  but 
four  ordained  men,  one  of  whom  is  obliged  to  give  his 
entire  time  to  educational  work.  It  should  be  also 
borne  in  mind  that,  while  Bible  translation  may  be 
assigned  to  a  special  Board,  the  missionaries  outside 
of  the  capital  willingly  undertake  their  full  share  in 
the  preparation  of  tracts,  Bible  study  helps,  and 
school  text-books. 

The  Methodist  Mission  has  centred  its  work  for 

the  Northern  Province  of  Pyeng  An,  in  the  city  of 

Yeng  Bven,  and  they  have  divided  the 
YengByen  ,     .  "       '.  .     .  .        . 

work  into  six  missionary  circuits.     As 

was  said  of  Syen  Chun,  so  we  may  note  of  Yeng  Byen, 

the  territory  is  about  300  miles  long  by  150  wide,  and 

includes  a  population  of  about  800,000,  and  of  these 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        i8i 

fully  300,000  are  the  Methodist  Episcopal  allotment. 
There  are,  at  the  present  time,  551  members  with 
405  seekers,  and  in  the  churches  they  have  nine 
primary  schools  with  185  under  instruction,  and  to 
the  care  of  this  entire  work  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Mission  has  been  able  to  appoint  only  one  man,  Mr. 
C.  D.  Morris.  The  burden  of  responsiblity  that 
rests  upon  his  shoulders,  and  the  work  that  lies  before 
him  to  be  done,  is  enough  to  crush  him  under  its 
weight.  Here,  at  least,  several  men  and  women 
should  be  sent  at  once,  if  in  any  small  way  the  oppor- 
tunity offered  to  this  Church  is  to  be  adequately  met. 
The  Kong  Chu  district  is  represented  by  their  Mis- 
sion as  taking  in  the  provinces  of  !N^orth  and  South 
Chung  Chong.     It  is  divided  at  present  Kong  Chu 

into  eight  districts,  and  here  this  Mission  circuit 
has  its  largest  work,  with  10,070  members  and  6,536 
seekers,  with  seven  primary  schools,  and  an  enrol- 
ment of  299  pupils.  "With  an  assignment  of  a 
heathen  population  of  600,000,  for  whom  the 
Methodist  Episcopalians  in  this  section  may 
be  said  to  be  responsible,  and  with  all  this  work  in 
hand,  the  recent  removal,  by  sickness,  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Swearer  leaves  it  as  a  burden  for  but  one  man. 
Great,  indeed,  as  was  the  burden  that  seemed  to  rest 
upon  the  Eev.  C.  D.  Morris,  it  is  more  than  doubled 
in  the  case  of  the  Rev.  F.  E.  C.  Williams,  a  new 
worker,  to  whom  has  been  assigned  this  Kong  Chu 
district.  Let  the  Methodist  Episcopalians  and  Pres- 
byterians unitedly  pray  that  this  brother  may  be  sus- 


1 82  The  Call  of  Korea 

tained  under  this  tremendous  burden,  and  that  the 
way  may  be  speedily  opened  for  the  extension  to  him 
of  needed  help  and  reenforcements. 

A  summary,  then,  of  the  work  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  ISTorth,  shows  that  her  allotment  is 
in  the  neighborhood  of  3,000,000  people  to  be 
reached ;  that  in  carrying  it  out,  she  has  undertaken 
several  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  and  is  in  need  of 
several  more.  Along  educational  lines  she,  together 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  has 
established  the  Biblical  Institute  of  Korea  for  theo- 
logical instruction,  unites  with  the  Presbyterians  in 
college  work  and  academic  work  in  Pyeng  Yang,  has 
established  a  college  at  Seoul,  and  has  a  large  number 
of  primary  schools  that  centre  in  a  normal  institute, 
meeting  annually  at  the  capital.  We  see  that  in  the 
development  of  her  evangelistic  work  there  are 
23,455*  members,  16,158  seekers,  and  that  for  edu- 
cational purposes  they  conduct  113  schools,  with 
4,267  pupils  under  instruction,  and  that  these  church 
members  contributed  toward  the  work  during  the 
past  year  $13,509.37. 

To  undertake  this  work  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  has  provided  twelve  ordained  men,  one  male 
physician,  three  women  physicians,  thirteen  single 
women,  and  ten  wives  of  missionaries. 

Nothing  more  than  these  figures  is  needed  to  illus- 
trate the  urgency  of  the  call  for  immediate  reenforce- 
ments in  this  field. 

♦This  includes  members  and  probationers. 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations         183 

As  was  noted  in  the  last  chapter,  it  was  ahout  the 
year  1895  that  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  established  its  Mission  in  Korea,  by  sending 
the  Kev.  Dr.  C.  F.  Eeid.  From  time  to  time  addi- 
tions were  made,  and  after  some  years  of  constant, 
earnest  work,  and  very  helpful  council  and  advice  in 
the  organization  of  the  work.  Dr.  Reid  was  compelled 
to  leave  on  account  of  health.  By  means  of  confer- 
ence with  other  Missions,  the  Southern  Methodist 
Episcopalians  have  now  secured  exclusive  work  in  a 
stretch  of  territory  somewhat  triangular  in  shape, 
with  a  large  city  at  each  apex — Seoul,  Song  Do,  and 
Won  San  standing,  as  it  were,  at  the  boundaries  of 
their  territory.  At  these  three  points  stations  have 
been  established  which  are  to  be  the  centres  from 
which  evangelistic  efforts  are  to  radiate,  and  a  new 
station  at  Chun  Chen,  the  capital  of  the  province  of 
Kang  Won,  is  in  contemplation;  in  fact,  land  has 
probably  already  been  bought.  This  Mission  has 
endeavored  not  so  much  to  cover  a  large  territory 
as  to  cover  the  field  assigned  it  thoroughly,  and 
while  we  do  not  mean  to  give  the  impression  that 
they  have  not  a  large  field,  we  do  feel  that  they 
should  be  commended  for  the  thoroughness  with 
which  they  plan  to  undertake  the  work  in  their 
territory. 

The  first  station  established  by  them  was  at  Seoul, 
where  they  have  four  ordained  men  and 

Saanl 

their  wives.  Revs.  J.  R.  Moore,  C.  G. 
Hounshell,  C.  T.  Collyer,  and  M.  B.  Stokes,  and  four 


184  The  Call  of  Korea 

ladies,  Mrs.  P.  J.  .Campbell,  Miss  Eleanor  Dye,  Miss 
Lillian  E^ichols,  and  Miss  Martha  Batey. 

These  four  ordained  men  have  oversight  of  two 
churches  in  Seoul,  and  all  the  congregations  in  the 
adjacent  territory  of  their  assignment.  The  single 
ladies  are  carrying  on  very  effectively  a  fine  girls' 
school,  which  has  been  increasing  in  efficiency,  and 
has  at  present  its  full  quota  of  pupils.  They  con- 
template in  the  near  future  an  enlargement  of  this 
school,  so  as  to  make  it  accommodate  several  hundred. 

Song  Do  was  the  objective  point  of  this  Mission  at 

its  start,   and  here  they  contemplate  their  largest 

plant.     Here    they    have    two    married 

Wasson,  and  one  single  missionary,  Rev.  G.  L.  Ger- 
dine,  for  evangelistic  work ;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  H.  Yun 
and  Mr.  J.  Arthur  Thompson  for  their  educational 
institution;  two  doctors.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Wilson 
Keed  and  Dr.  W.  T.  Reid;  and  three  single  ladies. 
Miss  Ella  Wagner,  Miss  Cordelia  Erwin,  and  Miss 
Ruby  Kendrick. 

This  city  is  not  only  the  centre  of  their  evangel- 
istic work,  which  is  very  extensive  in  the  surrounding 
country,  but  also  is  to  be  the  seat  of  a  large  educa- 
tional institution.  They  have  gradually  extended 
their  property  until  now  they  have  about  seventy 
acres.  Here  are  schools  and  residences,  and  here 
they  expect  to  build  two  large  new  educational  insti- 
tutions, one  for  girls  and  one  for  boys.  The  latter 
is  to  be  under  the  care  of  Mr.  T.  H.  Yun  and  will 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        185 

have  industrial  features  and  one  missionary  teacher, 
specially  trained  in  agricultural  and  mechanical  arts. 
There  are  one  hundred  and  fifty  students  in  this 
school  at  present,  which  is  the  full  capacity  at  its 
temporary  quarters.  On  this  same  site  a  dispensary 
is  in  operation  and  a  hospital  is  to  be  built  this  year. 

At  Won  San,  which  is  the  most  northeasterly  point 
of  the  territory  of  this  Mission,  they  have  a  station. 
They  have  two  evangelistic  workers,  Rev. 
E.  A.  Hardie,  M.D.,  and  wife,  and  Rev. 
E.  L.  Peerman,  unmarried ;  one  educational  worker. 
Rev.  J.  W.  Hitch;  one  medical  worker.  Dr.  J.  B. 
Ross,  and  wife,  and  three  single  ladies.  Miss  Mattie 
Ivey,  Miss  Mamie  D.  Myer,  and  Miss  Ruble  Lilly. 

For  the  carrying  on  of  their  work  here  they  have 
one  city  church  with  a  large  number  of  country 
churches,  a  day  school  for  boys,  a  boarding  school  for 
girls,  and  a  dispensary  with  hospital  in  prospect. 

The  last  statistics  of  the  Mission  show  181 
churches,  with  89  church  buildings,  4,998  members, 
who  gave,  during  the  past  year,  $2,380.26.  This 
Mission  plans  to  send  to  the  field  at  once  ten  addi- 
tional workers  to  care  for  the  territory  assigned 
them,  to  improve  the  efllciency  and  size  of  their  edu- 
cational and  medical  plants,  and  to  open  a  new  sta- 
tion at  Chun  Chen  as  soon  as  the  buildings  can  be 
erected,  and  here  evangelistic,  educational,  medical, 
and  women's  work  will  all  be  conducted. 

In  conclusion  we  may  note  that  this  work  in  Korea 
has,  in  the  main,  been  left  to  the   American  mis- 


1 86  The  Call  of  Korea 

sionaries,  to  whom,  in  the  Providence  of  God,  has 
been  given  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  a  marvel- 
lous way,  humanly  speaking.  This  country  has  been 
prepared  for  the  Gospel,  and  an  open  door  has  been 
placed  before  the  American  Church  through  which 
she  can  enter  and  win  this  nation  for  Christ.  Give 
the  needed  reenforcements  now,  train  and  teach  these 
masses  of  people  that  are  so  ready  to  be  taught,  and 
the  work  can  be  done.  "Withhold  this  now  and  the 
opportunity  may  be  lost. 

The  only  other  Church  working  in  Korea  is  the 
Church  of  England,  which  has  a  Mission  under  the 
Church  of  ^^^^  ^^  ^^®  Society  for  the  propagation 
^gi^'^  of  the   Gospel.     They  have  been  very 

much  restricted  by  the  fewness  of  their  workers,  but 
although  small,  they  have  a  very  capable  force  that 
is  doing  excellent  service  under  the  able  leadership  of 
Bishop  A.  B.  Turner.  Their  headquarters  are  at 
Seoul,  where  they  have  a  church  and  an  orphanage, 
and  whence  their  labors  radiate  into  the  surrounding 
country  with  sub-stations.  A  very  successful  sub- 
station has  been  established  at  Su  Won. 

At  Chemulpo,  in  addition  to  regular  evangelistic, 
a  large  and  growing  medical  work  centres  in  a  fine 
hospital,  which  is  under  the  care  of  Dr.  J.  Weir,  who 
is  ably  assisted  by  Mrs.  Weir  and  some  trained  nurses. 

At  both  these  points  regular  services  for  the 
foreign  communities  have  been  established  by  the 
Mission. 

The  third  point  from  which  they  work  is  the  island 


The  Work  of  the  Denominations        187 

of  Kang  Wha,  in  the  central  city  of  which  they  have 
established  a  large  station,  which,  with  its  medical 
and  educational  equipment,  is  reaching  the  whole 
island,  and  even  beyond. 

For  the  better  furthering  of  the  work,  and  for  the 
more  speedy  evangelization  of  the  whole  nation,  the 
various  Missions  have  gradually  been  coming  to  an 
agreement  as  to  a  division  of  territory.  Beginning 
from  the  south,  we  find  the  provinces  of  Xorth  and 
South  Chulla,  together  with  a  few  counties  in  the 
southern  part  of  Chung  Chong,  assigned  exclusively 
to  the  Southern  Presbyterians.  The  Southern 
province  of  Kyeng  Sang  is  divided  by  counties  be- 
tween the  Australian  and  the  American  I^orthern 
Presbyterians,  but  North  Kyeng  Sang  is  left  exclu- 
sively to  the  Northern  Presbyterians.  The  provinces 
of  North  and  South  Chung  Chong  fall  jointly  to  the 
American  Northern  Presbyterians  and  Methodists, 
and  a  careful  division  of  this  territory  by  counties  is 
under  consideration.  Kang  Won  is  divided  between 
the  Southern  Methodists  and  Northern  Presbyterians. 
In  Kyeng  Keui  we  find  both  Methodist  Churches,  the 
Northern  Presbyterian,  and  the  Church  of  England 
engaged  in  work,  but  even  here  there  are  mutual  ar- 
rangements aimed  to  avoid  any  overlapping.  The 
provinces  of  North  and  South  Ham  Kyeng  have  been 
left  almost  entirely  to  the  care  of  the  Canadian 
Presbyterian  Church,  while  the  other  three  provinces 
of  Whang  Hai  and  North  and  South  Pyeng  An  are 
jointly  worked  by  the  American  Northern  Presby- 


1 88  The  Call  of  Korea 

terian  and  Methodist  Churches,  a  division,  according 
to  counties,  having  been  arranged  for  most  of  this 
section  and  under  advisement  for  the  balance. 

These,  then,  are  the  Protestant  Churches  laboring 
in  Korea,  with  their  territorial  assignments.  They 
differ  in  the  statement  of  their  faith,  in  forms  of 
worship,  in  methods,  and  in  Church  government,  but 
their  real  aim  and  purpose  is  one,  the  Christianiza- 
tion  of  the  Nation.  One  in  faith  and  hope,  with  one 
Father,  one  Saviour,  one  Spirit. 

God  grant  that  they  may  go  forth  unitedly  in  the 
work  of  winning  this  land,  and  that  in  His  Divine 
Providence  the  time  may  soon  come  when  they  shall 
be  able  to  demonstrate  the  unity  of  their  faith  by  the 
establishment  of  one  united  Christian  Church  in 
Korea. 


QUESTIONS   AND    REFERENCES 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  ONE 

Object. — In  view  of  her  geographical  position  to  show  the 
importance  of  Korea's  evangelization  as  a  factor  in  winning 
of  all  Asia. 

I.  Korea's  Strategic  Importance  from  Its  Location. 

1.  What  relation  has  Korea's  climate  to  her  f>otentialities  ? 

2.  Why  has  Korea  been  the  center  of  political  intrigue  for 

more  than  twenty  years? 

3.  How  does  Korea  compare  in  latitude  with  portions  of 

U.  S.? 

4.  How  does  Korea  compare  in  latitude  with   portions  of 

Europe  ? 

5.  State  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  its  climate. 

6.  Can  the  natural  resources  of  Korea  be  utilized  to  increase 

the  wealth  of  the  country  greatly? 

7.  Along  what  lines  do  her  greatest  possibilities  run? 

8.  How  do  the  area  and  population  of  Korea  compare  with 

those  of  various  states  in  the  Union? 

9.  How  do  the  area  and  populatioiCbf  Korea  compare  with 

those  of  the  countries  of  Europe? 

10.  Also  how  do  they  compare  with  Japan  and  China? 

11.  What  possibilities  seemed  to  exist  for  large  colonization  7 

II.  Korea's  Importance  from  Its  "Natural  Resources. 

1.  How  could  the  agricultural  resources  be  largely  developed? 

2.  WTiat  peculiarity  should  be  noted  concerning  the  distri- 

bution of  Korea's  population?  ^ 

3.  What  are  the  supposed  mineral  resources  of  Korea? 

4.  What  is  the  value  of  the  Korean  as  a  workman  under 

equal    conditions    compared    with    Europeans    or    other 
Asiatics  ? 

5.  What   modem   facilities   for   travel   and   commerce   have 

lately  been  introduced? 

6.  What    foreign    inventions    introduced   into   Korea    would 

materially  assist  in  developing  its  resources? 

7.  What  advantages  are  oflfered  by  Korea's  coast  line? 

III.  Hindrances  to  Economic  Progress. 

1.  What  have   been  the  chief  causes  of  hindrance  in  the 

past? 

2.  Which  of  them,  if  any,  have  been  removed? 

189 


190  The  Call  of  Korea 

3.  Which     hindrances     still     remaining     might     easily     be 

removed  ? 

4.  How  would  a  forestry  commission  affect  Korea  agricul- 

turally? 

5.  What  climatic  change  might  be  efifected  by  such  a  com- 

mission? 

6.  What  hindrances  can  medical  missions  remove? 

IV.  Best  Points  of  Attack. 

1.  What  strategic  points  in  Korea  have  been  laid  siege  to 

by  missions? 

2.  What  new  strategic  points  should  be  besieged? 

3.  How  can  the  land  be  taken? 

4.  What  would  be  the  effect  on  China  and  Japan  if  Korea 

became  a  Christian  nation? 

5.  What  has  been   the   attitude   of  the  various   classes   in 

Korea  ? 

6.  How  does  the  distribution  of  the  people  affect  the  work? 


REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY:  CHAPTER  ONE 

I.  Agriculture. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  78,  100,  and  160. 

Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  p.  19-21. 

Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  203-214  and  244. 

Griffis:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  198,  298,  443-447. 

Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  269. 

Jones:  Korea,  p.  11  and  12,  22. 

Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  81. 

Underwood:  With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.  40-42. 

II.  Mineral  Resources. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  17,  18,  25,  108. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  200-203. 
Griffis:   Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  427. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  273-275. 
McKenzie:  The  Unveiled  East,  p.  156. 
Weale:  The  Reshaping  of  the  Far  East,  Vol.  II,  p.  10. 

III.  Climate. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  16. 
Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  p.  14-19. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  19. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  10. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  8. 
Lowell:  Choson,  p.  22-33. 
Milne:  Quaint  Korea,  p.  40,  41. 


Questions  and  References  191 

rV.  Commerce. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  391,  392,  464. 
Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  V. 
Griffis:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  454-457. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  281-287. 
McKenzie:  The  Unveiled  East,  p.  157,  158. 
Story:  To-morrow  in  the  East,  p.  88-96,  143-145. 
Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  37. 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  TWO 

Object. — To  realize  the  need  of  the  Koreans  for  Christianity 
and  the  importance  of  winning  them  to  Christ. 

I.  Their  Need  of  the  Gospel. 

1.  What    defects    do   you   notice    in    the    home    life   of   the 

Koreans  ? 

2.  How    could    the    educational    ideas    of    the    Koreans    be 

improved  ? 

3.  What  has  been  the  effect  of  the  seclusion  of  the  nation? 

4.  How  have  the  Chinese  classics  hindered  development? 

6.  What  effect  does  the  position  of  women  have  upon  the 
whole  nation? 

6.  What   effect   does   the   present   education   of   the   women 

have  upon  the  people? 

7.  Think  out  in  detail  what  your  position  to-day  would  have 

been  had  you  been  bom  a  Korean. 

8.  State  in  detail  the  good  and  bad  points  in  Korean  home 

life  and  training. 

9.  What  are   the   defects   in   the   Korean  male  and  female 

costumes  ? 

10.  What  are  the  difficulties  in  the  language? 

II.  The  Qualities  of  the  Race. 

1.  What  advantage  has  Korea  over  China  in  the  matter  of 

a  written  language? 

2.  What  are  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  in  the  Korean 

language,  if  any? 

3.  What  qualities  have  the  Koreans  shown  that  are  com- 

mendable ? 

4.  What  qualities  might  they  develop  as  Christians? 

5.  In  what  way  can  their  physical  characteristics  be  used 

to  help  the  spread  of  the  Grospel? 

6.  Intellectually    how   can    they   probably    rank    if   won    to 

Christ? 

7.  In  what  way  can  their  primitiveness  be  a  help  ? 

8.  How  are  the  women  guarded? 

9.  State  the  good  points  in  Korean  household  architecture. 


192  The  Call  of  Korea 


10.  What  possibilities  of  development  exist  in  Korea's  manu- 

factures ? 

11.  What  possibilities  of  development  exist  in  Korea's  arts? 

12.  What    are    the    advantages    and    disadvantages    of    the 
Korean  Guilds? 

13.  What  change  must  be   made   in   her   market   if  Korea 
becomes  Christian,  and  how  can  it  be  brought  about? 

III.  The  Potentialities  of  This  Race. 

1.  What  kind  of  Christians  might  be  expected  from  a  race 

like  this? 

2.  How  does  the  Korean  compare  with  the  Anglo-Saxon?  * 

3.  What  reception  might  it  be  expected  such  a  race  would 

give  to  Christianity? 

4.  If  won  to  Christ,  what  effect  might  it  be  expected  that 

such  a  race  would  have  on  their  neighbors? 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY:  CHAPTER  TWO 

I.  History. 

Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  II. 

GriflSs:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.   1-179,  347.  ' 

Hulbert:  History  of  Korea,  Vols.  I  and  II. 

Hulbert:    The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  69-224. 

Milne:  Quaint  Korea,  p.  245-265. 

II.  Origin. 

Griffis:   Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  Chap.  III. 
Hulbert:  History  of  Korea,  Vol.  I,  p.  1-4. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  27-29. 

III.  Physique  of  the  People. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  13,  26. 

Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  75,  76. 

Hulbert :  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  27-29. 

Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  1,  2. 

IV.  Intellectual  Life. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  13. 
Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  p.  68,  69. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  231-234. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  29-33. 

V.  Government. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  Chap.  XXXII. 

Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  Chap.  II. 

Griffis:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  458-471,  497-506. 

♦Hulbert's  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  29,  30. 


Questions  and  References  193 

Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  Chap,  IIL 
Milne:  Quaint  Korea,  Chap.  IV. 
Lowell:  Choson,  Chap.  XI. 

VI.  Literature. 

GriflBs:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  337-344. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea. 

VII.  Art  and  Industries. 

Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  156,  215-220. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  Chaps.  XIX,  XXV. 
Griffis:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  146,  149,  264,  330-332. 
Milne:  Quaint  Korea,  p.  209-225. 
Underwood:  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.  42. 

VIII.  Women. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  Chap.  XXIX,  p.  114-120. 
GiflFord:   Every  Dav  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  IV. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  78,  79,  98-107. 
GriflBs:    Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  244-249. 
Hulbert :  The  Passing  of  Korea,  Chap.  XXVIII. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  40. 
Lowell:  Choson,  Chap.  XV. 
Milne:  Quaint  Korea,  p.  75-161. 

IX.  Home  and  Family  Life. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  114-120. 
Giflford:   Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  III. 
Griffis:    Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  244-276. 
Noble:  Ewa,  A  Tale  of  Korea,  p.  208-217  et  ibid. 
Underwood:   With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.  110-112, 

222-230. 
Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  4,  39-42, 

167-169,  190-192. 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  THREE 

Object. — To  realize  how  the  nation's  faiths  have  failed  to 
answer  the  ideals  and  fulfil  the  needs  of  the  Koreans,  and  how 
Christianity  will  do  so. 

I.  General. 

1.  What  is  the  difference  between  an  irreligious  people  and 

a  people  without  a  religion? 

2.  What  were  the  Koreans? 

3.  Were  they  better  oS  with  three  religions  than  if  they 

had  had  only  one? 

4.  Why  had  they  received  three? 


194  The  Call  of  Korea 

II.  Effect  of  Shamanism. 

1.  What  is  Shamanism? 

2.  How  does  it  differ  from  Japanese  Shintoism?* 

3.  Why  does  it  have  such  a  strong  hold  upon  the  people? 

4.  In  what  is  it  lacking  as  a  religious  faith? 

5.  What  religious  instinct  does  it  satisfy? 

6.  How  would  you  as  a  missionary  approach  a  follower  of 

Shintoism  ? 

7.  What  stand  should  be  taken  about  fetiches? 

8.  What  dread  does  this  faith  cause? 

III.  Effects  of  Buddhism. 

1.  What  good  has  Buddhism  done  in  Korea? 

2.  In  what  is  it  lacking? 

3.  Why  has  it  lost  its  power? 

4.  How  would  you,  if  a  missionary  in  Korea,  approach  a 

Buddhist  priest? 

5.  Is  there  any  common  ground  in  Buddhism  on  which  you 

could  build? 

IV.  Effects  of  Confucianism. 

1.  WTiy  has  Confucianism,  with  its  admirable  code  of  ethics, 

failed? 

2.  What  has  been  the  eflFect  of  Confucianism  upon  the  status 

of  women? 

3.  How  does   it  fail   to  meet  the  ideals  and  needs  of  the 

Koreans  ? 

4.  What  stand  should  be  taken  about  ancestral  worship? 

5.  What  motive  has  a  Korean  Confucianist  for  doing  right? 

V.  Christianity  Succeeds  Where  the  Others  Fail. 

1.  Try  to  show  how  the  Koreans  failed  to  find  satisfaction 

in  their  three  faiths. 

2.  Try  to  show  practically  how  they  lost  their  faith  in  these 

three. 

3.  Show  how  the  Christian  code  of  ethics  is  superior  to  that 

of  Confucianism. 

4.  Show  how  Christ  makes  the  code  effective. 

5.  Show  how  Christianity  will  fulfil  all  the  needs  and  ideals 

of  the  Koreans. 

REFERENCES   FOR  ADVANCED   STUDY:    CHAPTER 
THREE 

I.  Attitude  of  People  to  Religion. 

Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  186,  187. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  49. 

•  See  Aston's  Shinto. 


Questions  and  References  195 

Lowell:  Choson,  p.  181-192. 

Milne:  Quaint  Korea,  p.  226-244. 

Underwood:   Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  9-10. 

II.  Confucianism. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  21,  22. 
Gilford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  VI. 
Griffis:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  328-330. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  54-60. 

III.  Buddhism. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  61,  142. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  188-190. 
Griffis:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  330-336. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  60-62. 

IV.  Shamanism. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  401-426. 
Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  VIII. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  190-198. 
Griffis:    Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,   p.   326-328. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  Chap.  XXX. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  50-53. 
Lowell:  Choson,  p.  193-212. 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  FOLTl 

Object. — To  grasp  the  true  idea  that  must  underlie  all 
agencies,  and  that  all  must  be  worked  in  harmony  for  the  best 
results. 

I.  The  Aim  and  Object  of  Medical  JVork. 

1.  In  what  way  have  medical  missions  been  of  peculiar  bene- 

fit in  Korea? 

2.  Are  these  still  needed  for  this? 

3.  If  they  have  accomplished  this  end  what  are  they  expected 

to  accomplish  now? 

4.  Should  hospitals   and  dispensaries  be  increased  in   this 

land? 

5.  What  can  they  accomplish  for  the  Church? 

6.  Do   you    think    the   best   work    can    be    accomplished   by 

separate  hospitals  and  dispensaries  for  women? 

n.  The  Aim  and  Object  of  Schools. 

1.  What  in  the  early  days  was  the  object  of  the  schools? 

2.  What  is  the  main  aim  of  the  mission  school  system  of 

Korea  to-day? 

3.  How  has  it  been  made  so  nearly  self-supporting? 


196 


The  Call  of  Korea 


4.  What  are  the  advantages  and  defects  of  the  Korean  mis- 

sion educational  system? 

5.  How  should  the  present  agencies  be  improved  or  added 

to? 

6.  At  what  points  should  academies  be  placed? 

7.  At  what  points  should  colleges  be  established? 

8.  How   best   can   the    plan    for    theological    instruction   be 

bettered  ? 

9.  What  technical  instruction  should  be  introduced? 

10.  Ought  a  Mission  Board  to  establish  industrial  and  agri- 
cultural schools,  and  should  this  be  done  in  Korea? 

III.  The  Aim  and  Object  of  Special  Work  for  Women. 

1.  How  far  is  special  work  for  women  needed? 

2.  Where  is  it  almost  indispensable? 

3.  Should  the  laborers  in  these  departments  be  increased? 

4.  What  do  you  think  of  the  educational  eflForts  for  Korean 

women  ? 

5.  How  can  all  these  be  improved? 

rV.  The  Self-Support  System  of  Korea. 

1.  What  agency  of  all  has,  in  your  estimation,  contributed 

most  to  success  in  Korea? 

2.  In  which  agency  has  the  self-support  principle  been  most 

severely  tested? 

3.  Does  the  success  of  these  eflForts  in  Korea  mean  anything 

to  the  Church  at  home? 

4.  What  can  we  learn  from  their  Bible  classes? 

5.  What  style  churches  would  be  best  for  Korea? 

6.  How   have    these    principles   been   applied    in    regard    to 

publications  ? 

7.  How  have  they  been  applied  in  regard  to  schools? 

8.  What  outside  agencies  have  been  introduced? 


REFERKNCES    FOR   ADVANCED   STUDY:    CHAPTER 
FOUR 

I.  Missionary  Methods  and  Self-Support 
Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  28-30,  63-65,  201,  202, 

346-350. 
Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  XI,  XIV. 
Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  126. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  96,  97,  103,  104,  107. 
Nevius:  Methods  of  Mission  Work,  p.  84-87,  130-133. 
Ross:  Mission  Methods  in  Manchuria. 

Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  231-235, 
240. 


Questions  and   References  197 

II.  Educational  Agencies. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  388-391. 

GtfiFord:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  XIII. 

Hulbert:  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  338-342,  465. 

Jones:  Korea,  p.  74. 

Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  5-7. 

Underwood:   With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.   102-103. 

m.  Medical  Agencies. 

Gale:  The  Vanguard,  p.  38-43. 

Hulbert :  The  Passing  of  Korea,  p.  460. 

Jones:  Korea,  p.  72. 

Underwood:    Fifteen  Years   Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.   107, 

108,  133-146. 
Underwood:  With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.  79-83. 

IV.  Bible  Classes. 

Bishop:  Korea  and  Her  Neighbors,  p.  347. 

V.  Itineration. 

Gale:  The  Vanguard,  p.  114-125. 

Noble:  Ewa,  a  Tale  of  Korea,  p.  203-208. 

Underwood;   Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  218- 

230,  237. 
Underwood:   With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.  150-172. 

VI.  Work  for  Women. 
Jones:  Korea,  p.  77. 

Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  235-250. 

VII.  Literary  JVork. 

Gale:  The  Vanguard,  p.  91-93. 

Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  p.  7-8,  33, 

251. 
Underwood:  With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  p.  148-150. 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  FIVE, 

Object. — To  realize  that  this  is  Korea's  Crisis  Hour,  and 
that  the  church  should  now  take  advantage  of  her  golden 
opportunity. 

I.  The  Receptivity  of  the  Koreans. 

1.  What  ought  the  Church  to  have  learned  from  the  story  of 

the  early  Roman  Catholic  work? 

2.  What  did  the  early  persecutions  show  as  to  the  character 

of  Korean  Christians? 

3.  What  did  the  work  of  Ross  and  Mclntyre  reveal  ? 


198 


The  Call  of  Korea 


4.  What  special  opportunities  did  medical  missions  present? 

5.  What  difficulties  were  there  to  be  overcome? 

6.  How  were  these  overcome? 

7.  What  should  have  been  the  effect  of  the  early  conversions 

on  the  Church  in  America? 

8.  What   peculiar   opportunities   were   presented   after   the 

China- Japan  war? 

9.  What  remarkable  opportunities  are  offered  now? 

II.  The  Church's  Response. 

1.  What  efforts  did  Protestants  make  to  enter  this  land 

before  treaties  were  made? 

2.  In  this  respect  how  did  they  compare  with  the  Roman 

Catholics  ? 

3.  Ought  the  Protestant  churches  to  have  entered  earlier? 

4.  How  long  did  they  wait  after  treaties  were  made? 

5.  Were  their  efforts  to  enter  in  any  way   commensurate 

with  the  work  to  be  done? 

6.  What  may  we  predict  if  the  Church  does  not  man  the  field 

now? 

III.  The  Results  That  Have  Followed. 

1.  What  did  the  early  results  promise? 

2.  How  did  they  compare  with  the  efforts  ? 

3.  Have  the  reenforcements  kept  pace  with  the  results? 

4.  What  do  the  most  recent  results  seem  to  predict? 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY:  CHAPTER  FIVE 

I.  Roman  Catholic  Work. 

Dallet:  "Histoire  de  I'Eglise  de  Cor^." 

GriflBs:  Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  121-123,  347-376. 

Hulbert:  History  of  Korea,  Vol.  II,  p.  37,  156,  175,  196,  209, 

345. 
Shortland:  Corean  Martyrs. 

II.  Early  Protestant  Work. 

Gilmore ;  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  292-294. 
Griffis:   Corea  the  Hermit  Nation,  p.  194,  359,  391. 
Hulbert:  History  of  Korea,  Vol.  II,  p.  195. 

III.  Modern  Protestant  Work. 
Gale:  The  Vanguard. 

Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  Chap.  X,  XII,  XV. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  Chap.  XV. 
Jones :  Korea,  Chap.  IV,  V,  VI. 
McKenzie :  The  Unveiled  East,  p.  292-295. 
Underwood:  Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  ibid. 
Underwood:  With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea,  ibid. 


Questions  and  References  199 

QUESTIONS  ON  CHAPTER  SIX 

Object. — To  realize  how  much  of  the  work  in  Korea  depends 
upon  your  church,  what  your  church  ought  to  do,  and  what 
your  individual  obligation  is. 

QUESTIONS  FOR  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCHES 

A.  The  Pbesbytebian  Chitrch    (Nobth). 

I.  The  Allotment  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  (North). 

1.  Why   is   the   Presbyterian    responsibility   proportionately 

greater  in  Korea  than  in  many  other  fields? 

2.  Compare  the  Presbyterian  allotment  at  Seoul  station  and 

the  number  of  ministers  there  to  meet  it  with  the  work 
in  your  own  neighborhood. 

3.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Pyeng  Yang. 

4.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Syen  Chun. 

5.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Tai  Ku. 

6.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Fusan. 

7.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Chai  Ryong. 

8.  In  what  sections  does  the  Presbyterian  Church  bear  the 

responsibility  unassociated  with  any  other  Church? 

9.  What  would  be  about  the  size  of  your  pastor's  parish  were 

he  in  a  similar  situation? 

10.  In  what  part  of  the  United  States  does  a  fair  allotment 

to  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  proportion  of  min- 
isters to  this  allotment  approximate  the  proportion  in 
Korea,  and  how  near  does  it  approximate? 

11.  In  what  order  have  the  stations  in  Korea  been  opened, 

and  what  peculiarly  caused  the  opening  of  each  station? 

II.  The  Way  in  Which  the  Presbyterian  Church  is  Meeting 

Her  Obligation. 

1.  How    did    the    Presbyterian    Church    in    the    first    place 

attempt  to  meet  its  obligation  for  the  whole  land? 

2.  How  long  did  the  Presbyterian  Church  wait  before  reen- 

forcements  were  sent,  and  what,  if  anything,  was  there 
that  would  really  justify  this  delay? 

3.  Give  in  your  own  words  a  concise  statement  of  how  she 

is  attempting  to  take  care  of  her  allotment  in  Seoul 
station. 

4.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Pyeng  Yang  station. 

5.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Syen  Chun  station. 

6.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Chai  Ryong  station. 

7.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Tai  Ku. 

8.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Fusan. 


200  The  Call  of  Korea 

9.  What  is  the  ratio  of  Presbyterian  missionaries  to  the 
population  of  Korea  and  to  the  Presbyterian  allotment 
in  Korea? 

III.  The  Way  in  Which  They  Ought  to  Meet  the  Allotment. 

1.  What  would  have  been  the  business-like  way  of  consider- 

ing the  work  in  Korea  and  sending  workers? 

2.  How  many  men  ought  the  Presbyterian  Church  to  have  in 

Korea  to  cope  with  its  allotment? 

3.  Why  ought  it  not  to  have  as  large  a  proportion  of  mis- 

sionaries as  there  are  ministers  in  the  United  States? 

4.  Make  a  careful  estimate  of  the  various  works  that  are  to 

be  accomplished  by  the  missionaries  of  Seoul  station, 
and  the  smallest  nimiber  of  men  that  ought  to  be  on 
hand  for  this. 

5.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Pyeng  Yang  station. 

6.  Why  should  the  proportion  of  missionaries  in  Seoul  and 

Pyeng  Yang  possibly  exceed  that  in  other  stations? 

7.  Make  a  like  careful  estimate  of  the  needs  in  Syen  Chun. 

8.  Make  a  like  careful  estimate  of  the  needs  in  Chai  Ryong. 

9.  Make  a  like  careful  estimate  of  the  needs  in  Fusan. 

10.  Make  a  like  careful  estimate  of  the  needs  in  Tai  Ku, 

11.  At  what  points  should  new  stations  be  opened  at  once, 

and  why?  And  what  is  the  smallest  number  that 
should  be  sent  to  man  them? 

12.  Considering,  then,  the  peculiar  needs  of  Korea,  and 
especially  the  Presbyterian  allotment,  in  your  estima- 
tion how  many  men  are  needed  at  once  for  all  Korea? 

13.  Classify  these  men  and  state  the  kind  of  work  that  they 

should  undertake. 

14.  What  special  reason  should  appeal  to  the  Presbyterian 

Church  to  reenforce  the  work  now? 

15.  In  what  way  could  the  present  winning  of  Korea  be 
effectual  toward  the  conversion  of  the  world? 

16.  To  what  extent  are  you  personally  responsible? 

17.  How  have  you  attempted  to  meet  your  obligation? 

B.  The  Australians. 

1.  Where  have  the  Church  of  Victoria  located? 

2.  What  portion  of  this  southern  province  belongs  terri- 
torially to  the  Australians? 

3.  For  allotment  of  the  Australian  Church — (follow  a 
similar  line  of  questions  as  has  been  done  for  the  Presby- 
terian Church  (North). 

4.  How  are  they  meeting  the  obligation?  (follow  the  line 
of  questions  given  above  for  the  Presbyterian  Church). 

5.  What  reenforcements  ought  they  to  send  out  at  once? 

(arrive  at  this  by  a  process  similar  to  that  under  III  for 
the  Presbyterian  Church   (North). 


Questions  and  References  201 

C.  The  Southebn  Pbesbtteeian  Chubch. 

1.  What   is   the   total   Korean   allotment   of   the   Southern 

Church? 

2.  Into  how  many  stations  have  they  divided   their  work, 

and  by  what  means  are  they  attempting  to  accom- 
plish it? 

3.  What  other   Churches   share    this    field   with   them,    and 

what  effect  does  this  have  upon  the  responsibility  of 
the  Church? 

4.  Make    a    careful    estimate    of    the   work    to    be    done    at 

Chun  Ju,  and,  comparing  it  with  that  in  your  own  neigh- 
borhood, estimate  the  added  workers  that  ought  to  be 
sent  to  this  station. 

5.  For  the  Presbyterian  Church,  South,  follow  a  line  of  ques- 

tions similar  to  that  given  for  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
North. 

5.  Do    likewise    for    Kun    San. 

6.  For  Quang  Ju. 

7.  In    what    way    is    the    Southern    Presbyterian    Church 

attempting  to  undertake  her  share  in  the  general  Pres- 
byterian work  of  the  land? 

8.  From  a  study  of  the  situation,  the  needs,  and  the  peculiar 

opportunities  now,  what  reenforcements  ought  to  be  sent 
out  by  the  Southern  Presbyterian  Church  at  once? 

9.  Classify  and  locate  these  men  to  the  best  of  your  ability. 

D.  The  Cajjadian  Peesbttebians. 

1.  In  what  part  of  Korea  are  the  Canadians  working? 

2.  How  did  the  Canadian  Presbyterian  Church  come  to  enter 

Korea  ? 

3.  Arrange   for   questions   under   the   three   heads  as  given 

above  for  the  Presbyterian  Church,  North. 


QUESTIONS    FOR    THE    METHODIST    CHURCHES, 

A.  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Chubch. 
I.  The  Allotment  of  the  Methodist  Church. 

1.  Compare  the  Methodist  allotment  at  Seoul  station  and 

the  number  of  ministers  there  to  meet  it  with  the  work 
in  your  own  neighborhood. 

2.  Do  the  same  for  Pyeng  Yang. 

3.  Do  the  same  for  Yeng  Byen. 

4.  Do  the  same  for  Kong  Chu. 

5.  In  what  station  is  the  Methodist  responsibility  the  great- 

est, and  how  is  she  prepared  to  meet  it? 


202  The  Call  of  Korea 

6.  Compare  the  Methodist  pastor's  work  at  Kong  Chu  with 

the  most  severely  overtaxed  Methodist  pastor  you  know 
of  in  the  States. 

7.  What  would  be  about  the  size  of  your  pastor's  parish  were 

he  in  a  position  similar  to  that  of  Rev.  C.  D.  Morris  or 
Rev.  E.  E.  C.  Williams? 

8.  In  what  part  of  the  United  States  does  a  fair  allotment 

to  the  Methodist  Church  in  the  proportion  of  ministers 
to  this  allotment  approximate  the  proportion  in  Korea, 
and  how  near  does  it  approximate? 

II.  The  Way  in  Which  the  Methodist  Church  is  Meeting  Her 

Obligation. 

1.  How  did  the  Methodist  Church  in  the  first  place  attempt 

to  meet  its  obligation  for  the  whole  land? 

2.  What,  if  anything,  has  there  been  that  would  really  jus- 

tify the  slowness  of  reenforeements  of  the  Methodist 
work  and  the  present  force? 

3.  Give  in  your  own  words  a  concise  statement  of  how  your 

church  is  attempting  to  take  care  of  her  allotment  in 
Seoul  station. 

4.  Do  the  same  as  regards  Pyeng  Yang  station. 

5.  Do  the  same  as  regards  Yeng  Byen  station. 

6.  Do  the  same  as  regards  Kong  Chu  station. 

7.  What  is  the  ratio  of  Methodist  ministers  to  the  entire 

population  of  Korea  and  to  the  Methodist  allotment 
there  ? 

III.  The  Way  in  Which  She  Ought  to  Meet  the  Allotment. 

1.  WTiat  would  have  been  the  business-like  way  of  consider- 

ing their  work  in  Korea  and  sending  workers  ? 

2.  How  many  men  ought  the  Methodist  Church  to  have  in 

Korea  to  cope  with  its  allotment? 

3.  In  view  of  the  present-day  opportunity  what  efforts  ought 

to  be  made  to  man  the  field? 

4.  Why  ought  the  Methodist  Church  not  to  have  as  large  a 

proportion  of  ministers  as  there  are  ministers  in  the 
United  States  ? 

5.  Make  a  careful  estimate  of  the  various  works  that  are 

to  be  accomplished  by  the  missionaries  of  Seoul  station, 
and  the  smallest  number  of  men  that  ought  to  be  on 
hand  for  this. 

6.  Do  a  similar  thing  for  Pyeng  Yang  station. 

7.  Why  should  the  proportion  of  missionaries  in  Seoul  pos- 

sibly exceed  that  in  other  stations? 

8.  Make  a  like  careful  estimate  of  the  needs  in  Yeng  Byen. 

9.  Do  the  same  as  regards  Kong  Chu. 


Questions  and  References  203 

10.  At  what  points  should  new  stations  be  opened,  and  why? 
And  what  is  the  smallest  number  of  missionaries  that 
should  be  placed  in  a  station  to  do  the  most  effective 
work? 

11.  Considering  the  present  needs  of  Korea,  and  especially 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  allotment,  in  your  estimation, 
how  many  more  Methodist  Episcopal  missionaries  are 
needed  at  once  for  all  Korea? 

12.  Classify  them  and  state  the  kind  of  work  that  they 
should  undertake. 

13.  In  what  way  could  the  present  winning  of  Korea  be 
effectual  toward  the  conversion  of  the  world? 

14.  To  what  extent  are  you  personally  responsible? 

15.  How  have  you  attempted  to  meet  your  responsibility? 

B.  The  Southebij  Methodist  Chubch. 

I.  The  Allotment  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

1.  What  is  the  total  allotment  of  this  Church? 

2.  What  advantages  have  they  in  size  and  position  over  the 

other  missions? 

3.  How  have  they  divided  it  among  stations,  and  show  the 

wisdom  or  lack  of  wisdom  in  their  division. 

4.  Compare  the  allotment  of  the  Southern  Methodist  Epis- 

copal Church,  and  the  number  of  ministers  to  take  part 
in  the  work  with  that  in  your  own  neighborhood. 
6.  In  what  part  of  the  United  States  field  of  the  Southern 
Methodist  Church  in  its  proportion  of  ministers  to 
work  does  it  approximate  that  in  Korea,  and  how  near 
does  it  approximate? 

II.  The   Way   in   Which   the   Southern   Methodist   Church   is 

Meeting  Her  Obligation. 

1.  In  what  way  has  the  Southern  Methodist  Church  greater 

wisdom  than   the  other   Churches  engaged   in   mission 
work  in  Korea? 

2.  Compare  the  size  of  her  territory  and  population,  and  the 

number  of  men  to  carry  on  the  work,  with  that  of  the 
other  Churches  working  in  Korea. 

3.  Give  in  your  own  words  a  concise  statement  of  how  she 

is  attempting  to  take  care  of  her  allotment  in  Seoul. 

4.  Do  the  same  thing  for  Song  Do,  and  tell  of  her  plans  for 

that  city. 

5.  Do  the  same  for  Won  San. 

6.  What  is  the  ratio  of  Southern  Methodist  ministers  to  the 

population  of  Korea  and  to  her  allotment  there? 

7.  To  really  man  the  field  how  many  additional  men  ought 

to  be  placed  in  Seoul — in  Song  Do — in  Won  San — in 
Chun  Chun? 


204  The  Call  of  Korea 

8.  In  your  opinion  how  large  a   reinforcement  ought  the 
Southern  Methodist  Church  to  send  to  Korea  at  once? 

REFERENCES  FOR  ADVANCED  STUDY:   CHAPTER  SIX 

I.  Early  Work. 

Gale:  The  Vanguard.     A  story  of  the  beginning  of  mission 

work  in  Korea. 
Gifford:  Every  Day  Life  in  Korea,  p.  128-229. 
Gilmore:  Korea  From  Its  Capital,  p.  294-315. 
Underwood:   Fifteen  Years  Among  the  Top-Knots,  ibid. 

II.  Later  Work. 

Annual  Reports,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions — Korea  Mission. 
Annual  Reports  of  Korea  Mission  to  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions. 


KOREA 


Korea  i^nd  Her  Neighbors 

ISABELLA  L.  BISHOP.  P.  R.  Q.  5. 

Illustrated,  8vo,  Cloth,  $2.00. 

Mrs.  Bishop  has  been  a  persevering  traveler  and  has  in- 
cluded in  her  list  of  countries  nearly  all  the  mission  lands  of 
Asia.  At  first  not  specially  interested  in  missions,  she  be- 
came, by  observation,  a  cordial  supporter,  while  by  no  means 
an  unthinking  admirer.  The  result  is  that  her  books  have  a 
peculiar  value  to  the  careful  reader,  and  this  on  Korea,  with 
Its  glimpses  of  the  border  lands  of  Manchuria  and  Siberia, 
and  its  comments  on  the  political  changes,  is  most  valuable. 

Korean  Sketches 

REV.  JAMES  S.  QALE 

Illustrated,  i2mo,  Cloth,  $1.00. 

"One  of  the  best  books  on  Korea,  but  also  one  of  the 
liveliest.  Dr.  Gale  writes  of  the  country  from  an  unusually 
close  inspection.  He  has  crossed  it  twelve  times,  and  has 
penetrated  those  Northern  districts  which  are  associated  with 
Its  earliest  history.  He  has  lived  among  the  people,  eaten 
their  food,  slept  on  the  hot  floors  of  their  inns,  maae  friends 
with  all  classes,  from  princes  to  coolies." — S.  S.  Times. 

The  Vanguard :  a  xaie  of  Korex 

Illustrated,   i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.30.       REV.  JAMES  S.  QALE 

Few  things  have  contributed  so  much  to  the  understand- 
ing of  the  intensely  human  quality  of  missionary  work,  as 
good  missionary  fiction.  This  is  one  of  the  best.  As  The 
Outlook  says,  "it  is  eminently  enjoyable,  hearty,  unconven- 
tional, full  of  odd,  unexpected  bits  of  adventure,  romance  and 
character." 

With  Tommy  Tompkins  in  Korea 

MRS.  H.  a.  UNDERWOOD 

Illustrated,  i2ino,  Cloth,  $1.25  net. 

Whether  the  Korean  atmosphere  inspires  fiction  or  whether 
Korean  missionaries  have  more  vivid  appreciation  of  that 
clement  in  missionary  literature,  it  is  true  that  two  of  the 
best  missionary  stories  come  from  that  land.  Mrs._  Under- 
wood's baby  grows  up  and  sees  things  Korean  with  eyes 
American,  the  result  being  as  informing  as  it  is  interesting. 

Every- Day  Life  in  Korea 

REV.  DANIEL  L.  GIFPORD 

Illustrated,   izmo.  Cloth,  $1.25. 

"The  general  reader  will  enjoy  this  little  book  thoroughly, 
and  those  who  are  seeking  to  liven  up  missionary  meetings 
will  find  it  a  treasure-house  of  anecdote  and  description." — 
The  Advance. 


JAPAN 


Evolution  of  the  Japanese :   sociai  and  Psychic 

8vo,  Cloth,  $2.00  net.  SIDNEY  L.  QULICK,  D.D. 

That  a  solid  book  of  this  type  should  pass  through  four 
editions  is  sufficient  witness  to  its  interest,  as  well  as  its 
value.  The  last_  edition  bring  the  author's  comments  up  to 
date  and  keeps  it  at  the  head  of  books  on  these  most  inter- 
esting people.  As  The  Interior  says:  "Everything  of  interest 
from  the  standpoint  of  a  statesman,  a  moralist  or  a  mission- 
ary, Mr.  Gulick  passes  in  review." 

The  White  Peril  in  the  Far  East 

i2mo,  Cloth,  $1.00  net  SIDNEY  L.  GULICK,  D.D. 

A  study  of  the  ethical  and  international  significance  of 
the  Russo-Japanese  war,  this  volume  gives  the  obverse  side  of 
the  white  man's  "yellow  peril"  and  shows  how  much  greater 
is  the  yellow  man's  "white  peril."  No  better  proof  of  the 
real  quality  and  value  of  the  book  could  be  than  the  comments 
on  it  by  the  secular  as  well  as  the  religious  press. 

A  Maker  of  the  New  Orient :  ^""  Btw^n'"" 

WILLIAM  ELUOT  GRIPPIS,  D.D. 

Illustrated,  lamo.  Cloth,  $1.25  net. 

When  Marquis  Ito  said  "Japan's  progress  and  de- 
velopment are  largely  due  to  the  influence  of  missionaries 
exerted  in  right  directions  when  Japan  was  first  studying  the 
outer  world"  ("Missionary  and  His  Critics"),  he  unquestion- 
ably had  in  mind  the  remarkable  company  of  men  who,  in 
1859,  commenced  missionary  work  in  the  Empire.  Of  these. 
Dr.  S.  R.  Brown  was  one,  and  his  life  should  be  read  by 
every  one  who  wishes  to  understand  that  "influence." 

Verbeck  of  Japan  :  a  citizen  of  no  country. 

WILLIAM  ELLIOT  GRIPPIS,  D.D. 

Illustrated,  xzmo,  Cloth,  $1.50. 

Dr.  Verbeck  was  one  of  the  unique  figures  in  mission- 
ary annals.  Born  in  Holland,  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
applied  for  naturalization  papers,  but  before  they  could  be 
completed  he  sailed  for  Japan  as  a  missionary.  There  he 
found  himself  without  any  civil  status,  but  so  highly  was  he 
esteemed  by  the  Japanese  Government  for  his  services,  in  con- 
nection with  S.  R.  Brown,  J.  C.  Hepburn  and  others,  that  a 
special  passport  was  granted  him,  which,  while  it  did  not 
make  him  a  Japanese  citizen — as  indeed  was  at  that  time  im- 
possible— gave  him  all  protection  and  endorsement  he  needed." 

The  Ainu  of  Japan 

REV.  JOHN  BATCHELOR 

Illustrated,  i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  standard  book  on  the  Religion,  Superstitions  and 
General  History  of  the  Hairy  Aborigines  of  Japan. 


JAPAN 

Joseph  Hardy  Neesima 

Illustrated,    i2mo.  Cloth,  $i.oo.  J.  D«  DAVIS,  D.D. 

Neesima  has  been  well  styled  "A  Maker  of  the  New 
Japan,"  for  probably  no  one  person  has  had  a  wider,  deeper, 
or  more  permanent  influence  than  the  founder  and  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Doshisha  University.  This  book,  by  one  inti- 
mately associated  with  Dr._  Neesima  in  that  university,  "is 
admirably  and  spiritedly  written,  and  its  hero  stands  forth  as 
one  of  the  most  romantic  and  inspiring  figures  of  modern 
times." — The  Examiner. 

The  Gist  of  Japan 

REV.  R.  B.  PEERV,  Ph.D. 

Illustrated,  8vo,  Decorated  Cloth,  $1.25. 

This  account  of  "The  Islands,  their  People  and  Missions 
is,"  as  the  Christian  Observer  says,  "One  of  the  most  valuable 
contributions    to     foreign    mission    literature    we    have     seen. 

All  About  Japan 

Illustrated,  i2mo.  Cloth,  $1.00  net.  BELLE  M.  BRAIN 

While  primarily  a  "Young  People's  History  of  Japan," 
it  is  a  book  that  adults  may  well  read. 

Rambles  in  Japan  ;     Th^  Land  of  the  Rising  sua 

REV.  CANON  M.  B.  TRISTRAM,  D.D. 

Illustrated,   8vo,   Cloth,   $2.00. 

Anything  that  Canon  Tristram  writes  is  sure  to  be  read- 
able. One  great  value  of  this  book  is  that  its  view  of  natural 
scenery,  natural  products,  etc.,  is  from  the  missionary  stand- 
point. 

Japan,  Its  People  and  Missions 

Illustrated,  lamo.  Cloth,  7sc  JESSE  PAQE 

A  Manual  in  the  Missionary  Series  of  Biographies. 

From  Far  Formosa 

GEORGE  LESLIE  MACKAY.  D.D. 

Illustrated,  Maps,  8vo,  Cloth,  $1.25. 

Dr.  Mackay  has  done  more  than  any  one  else  to  bring 
Formosa  to  the  knowledge  of  the  world.  This  book  on  the 
Island,  its  People  and  Missions,  "besides  being  richly  illus- 
trated, is  as  fascinating  as  a  novel,  and  is  a  striking  contribu- 
tion to  our  knowledge  of  South  Formosa,  being  especially 
noteworthy  for  the  rich  stores  of  scientific  knowledge  con- 
cerning the  geology,  geography,  flora,  fauna  and  ethnology  of 
the  'Beautiful   Island.    "     The  S.  S.   Times. 

See  also  China  and  Formosa,  Rev.  Jambs  Johnston 


CHINA 

The  Conquest  of  the  Cross  in  China 

JACOB  SPEICHBR 

Chart  and  Illustrations,  Cloth,  $i.so  net. 

The  contents  of  this  book  were  first  delivered  as  lec- 
tures to  the  students  at  Colgate  and  Rochester  Universities. 
Mr.  Speicher  has  the  true  instinct  of  the  news  bringer.  He 
has  lived  in  South  China  long  enough  to  know  it  thoroughly. 
He  is  distinguished  by  common  sense  in  his  judgments,  made 
palatable  by  a  free  literary  style. 

The  Educational  Conquest  of  the  Far  East 

ROBERT  E.  LEWIS,  M.  A. 

Illustrated,  Cloth,   12  mo,  $1.00  net. 

History  is  moving  so  rapidly  in  China  and  Japan  that 
it  is  easy  to  lose  the  perspective,  without  which  all  judgment 
it  liable  to  be  at  fault.  "An  authoritative  account  of  educa- 
tional progress  in  Japan  and  a  delightfully  sympathetic  study 
of  China's  literati,  in  the  light  of  the  new  education,"  is  as 
essential  to  the  general  reader  as  to  the  scholar. 

Chinese  Characteristics 

ARTHUR  H.  SMITH.  D.D. 

Illustrated,  8vo,   Cloth,  $2.00. 

"Not  only  one  of  the  ablest  analyses  and  portrayals  of 
the  Chinese  character,  but,  on  the  whole,  one  of  the  most 
truthful  and  judicial." — The  Nation.  "Highly  entertaining, 
showing  uncommon  shrewdness,  with  keen  analysis  of  char- 
acter."— New  York  Times.  Under  existing  conditions  in 
China  it  becomes  indispensable. 

Village  Life  in  China 

ARTHUR  H.  SMITH,  D.D. 

Illustrated,  8vo,  Cloth,  $2.00. 

As  a  Study  in  Sociology  this  book,  as  the  S.  S.  Times 
says,  is  "a  unique  contribution  to  literature."  As  a  study 
in  Chinese  life,  it  is  "an  incomparable  magazine  c  f  informa- 
tion" {New  York  Sun).  As  a  book  on  missions,  it  gives  the 
"fruits  of  twenty-five  years  of  ripe  experience." — Outlook. 

Mission  Problems  and  Mission  Methods 
in  South  China 

J.  CAMPBELL  GIBSON,  M.  A.,  D.D. 

Illustrated,  lamo,  Goth,  $1.30  net. 

"A  luminous  view  of  the  missionary  work,  its  difficulties 
and  failures,  its  successes  and  advancing  growth"  (The  Out- 
took).  "A  valuable  contribution  to  the  philosophy  of  mis- 
sions"  (C.  E.   World)   by  an  English  Baptist  missionary. 


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